Day 150: Alphabet Wedding Soup
The final resting place for any chicken that has been roasted in my house is a pot on the stove. When it would appear that most of the meat has been used up in salads, quesadillas and fried rice, there is always more to be coaxed off by a stint in the hot tub. Yesterday I covered the last of two chickens with water and added a handful of chives from the garden, a few peppercorns, and that was it. (And always add any chicken gel that might be left in the bottom of the roasting pan or container you stored it in in the fridge.) You could add any kind of vegetable trimmings you like – onion skins to make it darker and richer – or roast the carcass in the oven first, which is akin to browning meat; it caramelizes any natural sugars in there, adding flavour to the resulting stock.
Contrary to popular belief, stock does not have to simmer for hours on end, nor must you boil an entire chicken to rubber in order to make stock. A half-hour simmer is fine, then turn the heat off and let it all cool down – sort of like steeping a big pot of chicken tea. When it’s cool enough, pull out the bones and help the bits of meat fall off into the stock – a perfect base for soup.
I’ve had a jar of alphabet noodles on my shelf for at least a year – something I thought I should have when I became a mum, but not the sort of thing I often think of cooking with. W likes to play with them, but I have yet to actually add them to anything. Today I thought I’d reheat my chickeny stock, along with some chopped carrots and alphabet noodles. It seemed boring.
Then I remembered a soup Mike used to be addicted to when he worked in a deli decades ago – it was called Italian wedding soup; a basic chicken soup made with teeny meatballs, greens and tiny pasta stars. (I’m pretty sure Campbell’s makes a version of it in one of their hoity toity varieties.) I had greens. I had meatballs, even if they weren’t teeny. I cut them in half. I did a quick internet search to see if I was missing anything, and noticed Giada makes a version (with endive or escarole) in which she whisks together egg and Parmesan cheese and dribbles it into the hot broth, creating a cloudy soup with ribbons of egg, reminiscent of egg drop soup.
Alphabet Wedding Soup
AuthorJulie
Bring the stock to a simmer in a pot on the stove. Add the carrot, pasta and meatballs and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the pasta is tender.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and Parmesan cheese; drizzle into the hot soup, stirring gently so that it doesn't completely blend in, but cooks in strands. Throw in the spinach and cook for another minute or two, until it wilts.
Season with salt and pepper, and serve with extra Parmesan cheese on top.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring the stock to a simmer in a pot on the stove. Add the carrot, pasta and meatballs and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the pasta is tender.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and Parmesan cheese; drizzle into the hot soup, stirring gently so that it doesn't completely blend in, but cooks in strands. Throw in the spinach and cook for another minute or two, until it wilts.
Season with salt and pepper, and serve with extra Parmesan cheese on top.
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I surely hope that Grover got a good tip out of Mr Alphabet! I still have that Ernie and Bert that you gave me before I left for overseas!
Absolutely nothing to do with alphabet soup but wanted you to know that I brought in your Blueberry/Lemon/Coconut Squares for a coffee party here at work this morning and they were the big hit!
I have introduced your website to four more people and printed out the recipe for more!
Thank you!
Campbell’s Italian Wedding soup is very bland. Making it yourself is so easy, and so worth it!
Love your blog, Julie! I check it every day. Thanks for all the fabulous recipes.
Robyn I would take it a step further – the Campbell’s Italian Wedding soup tastes absolutely horrible compared to homemade. I make IWS but have never added carrot or egg — will try your recipe next time I make soup. And if summer doesn’t show up here soon in N Ontario I may just have to make soup to keep warm very soon! (I am making threatening comments in the hopes that Mother Nature will decide to prove me wrong 🙂 ).
Julie – what did you name the pup?
You’ve been tagged! Read my blog for the information! 🙂
You made it sound like making soup is so simple. It inspired me to make some. First time my soup’s broth didn’t taste like dish water.
Thanks:)