Italian Wedding Soup (Minestra)

" The term "wedding soup" is a mistranslation of the Italian language phrase "minestra maritata ("married soup")," which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meats go well together. The minestra maritata recipe is also prepared by the families of Lazio and Campania during the Christmas season (a tradition started from the Spanish domination of Italy to the present days). Some form of minestra maritata was long popular in Toledo, Spain, before pasta became an affordable commodity to most Spaniards. The modern wedding soup is quite a bit lighter than the old Spanish form, which contained more meats than just the meatballs of modern Italian-American versions. "

In a large stock pot, bring to a good simmer:

6-8 quarts chicken stock (homemade is best, but I often use those mega-cans of chicken stock purchased from GFS)

4 large carrots, peeled & chopped

1 c. diced celery

1 large head of escarole, cleaned and chopped (approx. 6 cups or so)

few cloves of smashed/minced garlic

S&P to taste

Simmer for 30-45 minutes, until the escarole is tender.

Make the meatballs while the stock is simmering:

For meatballs:

1-1/2 lb. ground veal (OR use a 50-50% mix of LEAN ground beef & ground pork)

3 large eggs

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 Tblsp. chopped parsley (fresh or dried)

Form into small balls, an inch or less in diameter. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the pan and carefully place them into the stockpot.

Simmer for another half hour.

If you like, add 4 cups of COOKED small pasta (any shape - or broken up linguine) If you prefer to put the uncooked pasta right in with the soup to finish cooking, make sure you add an additional 2 cups of chicken stock to replenish the loss of liquid.

Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano puts the icing on the cake... or the cheese on the soup!