Italian Wedding Egg Drop Soup

Every Christmas Eve I make the Italian Wedding Soup that my great grandmother used to make.  Except our family has a nontraditional twist, as we turn this into an egg drop soup as well.  It is delicious, but not too filling, so we enjoy it as a first course.

If you have a lovely but forgotten soup tureen taking up space in your cabinet, now would be an excellent time to use it.

A letter to my 22 year old self:

Dear Sherri,  I know you really want to register for that expensive Crate and Barrel soup tureen.  I’m sure you think you’ll be hosting lots of fancy parties that will feature this special item.  However I promise you that 13 years from now you will be able to count on one hand the number of times you have used it.  Most of the times you entertain will not involve soup, and if it does you will serve it from your stockpot.  Register for the (insert anything) instead.

Sincerely,

2013 Sherri

But really, would I have listened?  At 22 I already knew everything. 

Do you have any of those gifts from your wedding hidden away?

On a side note, I don’t actually use the tureen on Christmas Eve either, since my mother hosts it.  I have enough trouble getting my dear husband to load the soup into the car, never mind a tureen to serve it in.

The tureen is very pretty.  Clearly I need to be serving up more soup.  And in case you were wondering, this soup is wonderful at weddings as well.  My sister served it at hers and it was a big hit.  But no tureens.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Recipe Meatball Mix Shaped into 1 Inch Uncooked Meatballs
• 3 Quarts Chicken Stock
• 1 Small Head Escarole, Washed and Chopped Small
• 1/2 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese, Plus More For Serving
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 4 Eggs
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1/2 Lb. Cooked Pastina or Ditalini

Instructions

• Bring the chicken stock and tomato paste to a simmer on the stove top, stir to dissolve paste. Add meatballs and cook for 20 minutes. Add the escarole and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Beat together the eggs and pecorino. Use a fork or whisk to whisk the soup while slowly pouring in the egg mixture. The eggs should cook up into strands.
• Add cooked pasta to the soup pot. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with additional cheese for topping.

Notes

Meatballs can be made ahead and frozen, uncooked.

Author: Sherri