Italian Wedding Soup

This is one of those soups that can change every time you make it. The meatballs, the pasta, and the vegetables can vary based on what you have on hand, or what direction you want to take it. I like fennel in it, but you can make it heavier with peppers, more celery, use artichokes, pretty much anything that's your hearts fancy and a great way to use up leftovers. I normally make meatballs because I am making a sub, or pasta dish, and I always make extra to use in my wedding soup.

Another thing to keep in mind with a soup like this, or really any soup that includes rice or pasta, is that unless you are serving it immediately, you don't want to hold the starch in the soup. The longer the rice or pasta stays in the broth, the more it absorbs, and the quicker your texture looses the qualities you are looking for.

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Ingredients

Meatballs

• Ground Pork 16 oz

• Ground Veal 16 oz

• Roast Garlic 6 ea cloves

• Lemon Zest 1 ea

• Crushed Red Pepper 1 tsp

• Panko 1/8 cup

• Egg 2 ea

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Oregano fresh 1 T

• Thyme fresh 1 T

• Ground Mustard 1/2 tsp

• Worcestershire 1 tsp

Method of Procedure

1. Mix all ingredients together and chill.

2. Portion out into 1 1/2 oz balls and place on a parchment lined tray. Chill for 30 minutes

3. Get a large soup pot hot and add oil. Sear the meat balls and remove. Once all meatballs are seared, start on the soup

Ingredients

Soup

• Fennel, diced 1 ea large

• Chicken Stock 8 qt

• Bay leaves 2 ea

• Onion diced 1 ea

• Carrots, peeled and diced 4 ea

• Peppers small, seeded and diced 12 ea

• Kale, finely chopped 1/2 bunch

• Celery, diced 3 ea

• Pasta, ditalini 1 box

• Garlic, sliced 8 cloves

• Lemon Juice 2 ea

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Olive Oil to saute

• Thyme, chopped fresh 1 T

• Oregano, chopped fresh 1/2 T

Method of Procedure

1. Place your soup pot on medium high and wait until it's hot. Add oil to the pot and bring to heat.

2. Add your onion and garlic and saute while stirring until softened. Add your fresh thyme, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Stir then add celery, carrots, peppers, and fennel.

3. While your vegetables are cooking bring a pot of salted water to boil for your pasta. Cook and shock the pasta, then lightly toss in olive oil so it doesn't stick.

4. Add your chicken stock, lemon juice and kale, and cook for 30 minutes.

5. Add meatballs and continue to cook until the kale is soft, about 30-45 minutes.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

7. When serving place pasta in bowl and ladle soup on top. If heating from cold, place the amount of pasta in with the soup that you want and heat to order.