12/13/10

Just make sure you order it properly. Or NO SOUP FOR YOU.




I have never considered myself a great cook. However, I bake a mean loaf of bread, an amazing apple pie, a lovely raspberry pie, and decent stuffed cabbage. I can also provide decent meals for my family, take extra care around the holidays, and have recently realized that when you DO follow a recipe, great things CAN happen.

I was attending an in-door field hockey event last year when I tasted the most incredible soup ever. E.V.E.R. It was Italian Wedding Soup, and I spent most of the day tracking down the cook. Coincidentally, it was the mother of one of Sassy’s best friends, who informed me that the recipe was from the Barefoot Contessa. Ina. Ina Garten.



I have been making it once a month since then, and have found that not only does it warm me on the inside, it has become my go to comfort dish.

I want to share it with all of you.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

3/4 pound ground chicken

1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed

2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

3 tablespoons milk

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper



For the soup:

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 cup minced yellow onion

1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

10 cups homemade chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars

1/4 cup minced fresh dill

12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.


Do yourself a favor and try this soup. It is the best soup you will ever have. Honestly, if I CAN MAKE IT, anyone can.



Enjoy!!!

32 comments:

The Zany Housewife said...

Damn. That looks incredible. I love making soup during the Winter. I'm adding this to my list of recipes to try.

alitalyn said...

Yum! This sounds soooo good. I'll be making some of this ASAP!

Sharon Rose said...

OMG! Thanks for sharing this recipe! now I don't have to go to Olive Garden.

I can have it right here in my fuzzy pj's and slippers!!!! YES!

Congrats on being down 23 pounds! Don't get too skinny! Grief can do that too!


Oh, and did I say thank you so much for that recipe?
xoxo

jessica said...

ok so i'm one of those annoying people who eats like a 4 year old and doesn't try new things. the thought of meatballs in my soup instead of chicken is insane! am i going to like it? am i really going to like it? my husband tried to get me to try shrimp for the first time on saturday and i couldn't do it. it was like fear factor for me and i would've lost.
my word verification is "prothede" it's telling me to continue, with a lisp!

highheeledlife said...

YUM!!! this is simply delish!!! thanks for sharing...HHL

duffylou said...

That sounds fabulous. I need a new soup recipe and this looks so much better than the can of Progresso Wedding soup I have in the cabinet.

Sara J. Henry said...

You're kidding, right?!? You lost me at chicken sausage, casings removed - one, I doubt I could find it in my neck of the woods, and two, removing casings sounds like the start of a whole lot of work. Homemade chicken stock!?! Yeah, I don't think so. Just eat an extra serving for me.

Wild Child said...

Mmmmm...soup. I should share the sweet potato one we just tried.

becca-kaye said...

thanks so much for posting!

Pamela said...

Yum! So next time make 2x and I'll be right over to pick up my share.

Mom24 said...

Definitely one of my favorite recipes. So easy and yummy! Ina rocks!

Cheryl said...

I am not attempting this at home.

I am, however, keeping you all in my thoughts.

Joanie said...

Oh boy that looks good, and if I still cooked, I'd definitely make this recipe!

San Diego Momma/Two Funny Brains said...

Are you sure I can make this?

I have a hard time with preparing and heating foodstuffs.

Jill said...

So funny - I just bought this cookbook about 2 months ago - and have been eying this soup...

I must try this during the holiday break!

Brian Miller said...

nice...this sounds good VM...putting it on the list to try

Lynn MacDonald said...

That looks good. What time can you have it at my house all ready for me to serve? I dont cook...

tamilyn said...

and chased with a nice vodka martini, what more could a girl want? Other than no mice.....

Unknown said...

That's one of my favorites. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks!

Cheryl D. said...

I have two Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. They're great!

WeaselMomma said...

I love wedding soup! I make mine with ground beef, though.

Notes From ABroad said...

I have never tried to make it because I thought it was an all meat soup! Now I can make it !
But I will wait until winter I guess... or a cold summer day :)
I find baking to be therapeutic .. it is soothing and calming, I am not surprised you are a baker too :)
After a day of dealing with Frank and friends, making a batch of cookies or a pie must be just what you need to calm frazzled nerves.. soothe testy taste buds..
Happy Holidays, honey .. C

Wendy said...

A recipe from VM?! That's new! =-)

You know i always read your labels...
Life happens while you're "not aware" of it. Don't grieve too much. It *all* had a purpose, and it's now a part of causing you to be who you are.

Remember: You are STRONG.
You have SO many who LOVE you.
Keep repeating, "I deserve to be Happy!"

You're in my thoughts every day VM, even when i don't comment here.
=-)

Jeanne Estridge said...

Sounds delish!

Jeanne Estridge said...

I've been MIA for a while, trying to finish the first draft of my book, and from this, and mostly from the labels, I sense that something momentous is going on with you.

Take care of yourself. There are a lot of people out here who care about you.

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