“I’m looking forward to looking back on all this.” – Sandra Knell
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
Last weekend was a good break from political trauma throughout the world… it reminded me of why we love living here. On Saturday we heard an amazing concert at St. John’s Abbey, one of my favorite structures. It was a program of all French choral and organ music, sung by the Vocalessence Ensemble Singers, and played by Greg Zelek, the incredible UMN Northrop organist. Our friends who came with us said it was the best concert they had ever heard, and I must admit it was fantastic. Then on Sunday we went to see Sleuth at the Guthrie with our son’s family… another outstanding performance. We are so blessed with outstanding arts in the Twin Cities. I heard this week that Minnesota continues to lead the nation in arts funding!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
We are full-blooded Scandinavians, so have no Italian history in our blood, but seeing this soup multiple places online over time made me decide I needed to try it. One account talked about how her grandmother made this special soup once a year. This recipe with homemade broth is compiled from several different recipes… it was good, and made fantastic leftovers!
ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP
For the broth
- One 3-4 pound whole chicken, giblets removed
- 3-4 large carrots, chopped
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 ounce frozen chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup Acini di Pepe pasta
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the mini meatballs
- 1/2 pound each ground beef and ground pork, or any combination (I used all pork)
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup shredded Pecorino Romano
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
Make the broth: Place the whole chicken in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that arises. Add carrots, celery, onion, parsley, and bay leaves. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone.
Prepare meatballs: In a bowl, mix ground beef, pork, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, eggs, garlic and parsley. Shape into about 40 very small meatballs (about 1/2 inch). Option: bake meatballs for 6-8 minutes at 450 degrees F, then broil for 2 minutes. I did this, but think I would skip this step next time.
Strain and shred: Remove the chicken from the pot. Strain the broth, discarding the boiled vegetables and bay leaves. Return the broth to the pot and bring to a simmer.
Finish the soup: Remove meat from the chicken bones, discarding skin/bones, and add the shredded chicken back to the broth. Add the meatballs, chopped spinach and pasta.
Simmer: Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is tender.
Serve: Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
