Italian Wedding Soup

I recently had Italian Wedding Soup at an engagement party. It was so delicious, I was inspired to make some. 

Thanks, Dudley, for the inspiration!

Dudley said she used Ina Garten's Italian Wedding Soup recipe. I used what I had on hand--a mixture of kale and baby spinach, ground chicken & ground pork, a random small pasta and canned chicken broth. It didn't seem as good as Dudley's but it was still really good!

Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, the name Italian Wedding Soup comes from the expression in Italian that the meat and greens "marry", or go well together?

I guess that means that they don't serve it at all weddings in Italy.

I think the meat and greens go well together, indeed. I like it with a little shaved parmesan cheese on top.

Italian Wedding Soup

adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1/2 lb. ground chicken
1/2 lb. chicken or pork sausage, casings removed
1 cup bread crumbs or dried stuffing mix, moistened with 1/2 cup broth or milk
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons each, chopped thyme and oregano
1/4 cup grated Romano & 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery with leaves
2 cans chicken broth and enough water to make 10 cups
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta, cooked and drained
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach or kale, washed, ribs removed from kale

 I snipped this parsley, thyme & oregano from my front yard.

 For the meatballs, mix ingredients in a large bowl.

Form into small meatballs and set aside.

Ina bakes the meatballs for 30 minutes at 350ºF, I dropped mine to cook right into the soup. But that comes later.

 Mince the garlic and finely chop the celery and onion. I used Chinese celery, which is mostly leaves and thin stems. I picked some up at my local Chinese market, it looked so fresh.

Saute the garlic, celery, onion, parsley, thyme and oregano in 2 tablespoons olive oil until wilted, then add the chicken broth, wine and water. I didn't have dill, but it's good with dill.

Boil another pan of water for the noodles, cook & drain.

 When the soup boils, drop in the meatballs and stir gently. When the soup returns to boil, lower heat to medium and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Skim any foam that surfaces to the top and discard.

 Wash spinach and kale. Remove the tough ribs from the kale and tear into bite-sized pieces.

My sister-in-law Nancy always used to tease me for eating kale. She said it was a garnish. Now she says kale is her boyfriend.

 When the noodles are done and drained, and you're ready to serve the soup, add the spinach and kale. Stir gently. It takes less than a minute for the greens to wilt, that's when you want to serve the soup.

Add a sprinkling of pasta and some shaved Parmesan cheese if you like.

Itadakimasu!


***


Since I've been away from blogging for awhile, I've got a lot to catch-up on!

Dudley is on the left, she inspired me to make the soup.

Remember Jessica's yummy Thai Chicken Salad guest post? That's Jessica's mom Elyse on the right. She and Dudley are the proprietors of Bouquets and Bow Ties Events. You'll be seeing more of them here because...


Rick and Jessica are engaged!

We're having a wedding!

A couple of months ago, Jessica's parents hosted a wonderful engagement party. We were pleased to meet their family and friends.

In the early fall, Rick proposed in what will be their new home that is under construction.

 Here, he is putting the ring on her finger.

 Congratulations to the happy couple!

I think they just exude happiness.

Jessica and Rick met on an airplane. They were sitting next to each other and struck up a conversation over a book Rick had just finished reading. He gave her the book to read with his business card inside.

The rest is history!

This is the book.

 Rick wrote why he knows that she's The One on the inside cover of the book. I think that's so romantic.

Then they made a stepping-stone for their garden with their handprints.

Together, in the shape of a heart.

Ahhhh---Love.


***

Italian Wedding Soup

adapted from Ina Garten at FoodNetwork.com, makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1/2 lb. ground chicken

1/2 lb. chicken or pork sausage, casings removed

1 cup bread crumbs or dried stuffing mix, moistened with 1/2 cup broth or milk

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons each, chopped thyme and oregano

1/4 cup grated Romano & 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced onion

1 cup diced celery with leaves

2 cans chicken broth and enough water to make 10 cups

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup small pasta

1/4 cup minced fresh dill

12 ounces baby spinach or kale, washed, ribs removed from kale and torn into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken and sausage, bread crumbs moistened with broth or milk, oats, garlic, cheeses (if desired), egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into a bowl and mix gently with a fork. Form into meatballs and set aside.

For the soup, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large pot. Add onion, celery, thyme, parsley, oregano and garlic and saute until wilted and soft, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth, wine and water and bring to boil. Boil pasta and drain. Drop the meatballs into the boiling soup. When the pot returns to boil, turn the heat down and simmer gently 10 minutes. When you're ready to serve the soup, return to boil and add the washed spinach & kale with ribs removed and torn into bite-sized pieces. Cook for about a minute or until greens are wilted. Serve with a scoop of pasta and garnish with shaved Parmesan.