Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

Italian Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 / 2 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs

• 1 / 2 cup grated Romano cheese

• 1 egg

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 / 4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

Chicken Broth:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 carrots, chopped

• 3 ribs celery, chopped

• 2 medium onions, chopped

• 1 gallon chicken stock*

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juices

• 2 heads escarole, chopped and washed very well

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup grated Romano cheese

• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

Method

To make meatballs: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients; mix well. Form meat mixture into meatballs with a diameter of about 1 inch (makes about 46 meatballs no biggers than quarters). Place in a baking pan with sides. Bake 30 minutes until browned and a bit crisp.

To make broth: In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onions and saute 15 minutes over medium to medium-high heat until vegetables begin to brown a little.

Add the chicken stock and tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes as you add them. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to bring it to a slow boil and cook 30 minutes.

Add meatballs and escarole and boil 5 minutes until greens are tender; remove from the heat. (Soup can be frozen at this point).

Beat the 2 eggs with the Romano cheese. Stir gradually into the warm soup. Make sure soup is not boiling at this point or you will scramble the eggs, and do not let the soup boil at any time after you add the eggs. Add salt and pepper. Makes 22 cups (5 1/ 2 quarts).

*Chicken stock is available in shelf-stable cartons in the soup aisle of supermarkets. You can use chicken broth, if you prefer.