Italian Wedding Soup


This is a very simple soup to make, and very hearty!  The classic doesn't include the carrots and pasta and lemon zest, but I like all three in it - definitely adds a little oomph to the soup.  I have made this several times now in cooking classes - it is VERY easy to make, and REALLY tasty.  One note though - a LITTLE lemon zest goes a long way.  I love it in the soup - adds a little acid to cut the fat from the meatballs, which are cooked in the broth - but too much makes the soup too lemony - just a light tsp is plenty.  No pics unfortunately.... thought I took some but can't find them!  Enjoy the soup!  

Ingredients
Meatballs:
·         1 small onion, grated
·         1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
·         1 large egg
·         1 teaspoon minced garlic
·         1 teaspoon salt
·         1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
·         1/2 cup grated Parmesan
·         8 ounces ground beef
·         8 ounces ground pork
·         Freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
·         12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
·         1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
·         2 large eggs
·         1 cup sea shell pasta
·         ¾ cup diced carrot
·         1 tsp lemon zest
·         2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.

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