Italian wedding soup

Italian wedding soup

It was snowing when we got up this morning - perfect day to make a pot of soup! I had flipped through Food and Wine's February issue and and was inspired by the recipe for Italian wedding soup. I used the recipe as a general guide and just kind of made my own version. Here's what I did:

The broth

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 quarts chicken broth, or 1 quart plus 1 quart water, which is what I did since I only had one container of broth
• 5 oz. pkg. of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• olive oil to saute vegetables

lots of little meatballs

The meatballs

• 1 lb. ground pork - you can use ground chicken or turkey if you like, or use italian sausage
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
• 1 clove garlic, very finely minced, or you can use some garlic powder if you like
• a large pinch of oregano, crumble as you add
• 1/3 tsp. kosher salt 
• 1/3 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, heat a generous swirl of olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic with a large pinch of salt and saute about 3-4 minutes. Add the carrots with another pinch of salt and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add your broth and another good pinch of salt and a generous sprinkle of pepper. Cover the pot and and bring to a boil. Taste the broth and season with more salt if needed. Add the orzo and let it cook for about 6 minutes.

In a large bowl, add all your meatball ingredients. With your hands, mix everything together well, but gently. Form into small meatballs, whatever size you prefer. I did meatballs that were a little smaller than a 1" diameter, about the size of the top joint of your thumb.

Add your meatballs to the soup and let them cook for at least 5 minutes. Make sure the orzo is cooked. Add the chopped baby spinach at the end and stir into the soup. Taste and add more salt or pepper if you like. Serve with a little grated parmigiano reggiano if you like, and a grind of black pepper.