Episode-141- Italian Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe

Wedding soup has been a Teolis family tradition for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays for a few generations on the Italian side of my family. This wonderful concoction of chicken, homemade meatballs, spinach, eggs, carrots and seasoning is a joy to prepare and even more joyful to eat. About 7 years ago I took the time to get a recipe from my brother’s mother in law and began to make it a holiday tradition in my home. It is a labor of love to make wedding soup and I enjoy sharing it with others who we visit or who visit us at Christmas time. To show how much I treasure my coworkers I recently made and brought some wedding soup to the annual office holiday party. I made enough for two days so we will be having more tomorrow. The recipe I provide takes about 4 hours from start to finish and it is worth the effort and time. Take the time to make your friends want to come and spend time with you. Make some wedding soup for the holidays. For best results make the night before to allow all the flavors combine.

Recipe for Wedding Soup 
-Soup-
1 whole chicken, rinsed and giblets removed
8 carrots
3 tablespoons of chicken soup paste bullion
1 pound of pastina

-Meatballs-
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 Garlic cloves
Salt
Pepper
3/4 cup Milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup fresh parsley

-Soup-
Place the chicken in a pot of water and slowly bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 30
minutes. Remove from pot and drain. Add a second large pot to the stove and put half of the chicken stock into it. Add water until both pots are 2/3 full. Add chicken bullion paste to both pots and simmer. Strip the chicken of all meat when cool and place equally in the pots. Continue a low simmer.

-Meatballs-
2 pounds/1 kg ground beef
3 thick slices of fresh bread cut into cubes
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley from the green room
1 tsp mince garlic
½ tsp crushed sea salt
¼ tsp black course ground pepper
1 1/4 cup/ ¼  ltr milk – any kind is okay
2 eggs

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C.
Add the bread, eggs, milk, parsley, minced garlic, salt and pepper to a blender or food processor and pulse for just a seconds at a time until the ingredients are finely mixed together and creamy. Pour a little at a time into into a large bowl containing the meat. Mix by hand and until consistency is good for rolling ½ inch meatballs. If necessary add a little bit of fresh bread crumbs to absorb excess moisture. Coat a large glass baking dish with olive oil. Add the meatballs. Drizzle olive oil on top. Bake in the oven at 375 F/190 C for 35-40 minutes and be sure to turn the meatballs half way through cooking.

Add meatballs to the soup.
Use a vegetable stripper to make ribbons of orange from the carrots and add to the soup.
Mix eggs in a bowl and slowly stir half into each pot.
Chop spinach and add to both pots.

You now have a wonderful Christmas treat for the eyes. Continue to simmer for one hour and then let cool. Store in the refrigerator and reheat slowly the next day.

Serving Wedding soup
Cook the pastina, drain and add a tablespoon of butter. Place a big spoonful of pastina in the bottom of bowls. Garnish with fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy. Mama Mia!
Serves 20 happy guests

Song of the Day – Bing Crosby – White Christmas –  Video

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