Classic, delicious, and nutritious, my Italian wedding soup* is sure to satisfy your taste buds. The key to accomplishing a silky-smooth broth is to use a cornstarch slurry at the end. I like to use acini de pepe or orzo in this dish, but by husband claims that ditali pasta is the best. You can certainly make your own Italian meatballs or use frozen ones from the store, but I like to use spicy Italian chicken sausage which I can find at any Fresh Thyme grocery store. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and that you share it with someone you love. xoxo
INGREDIENTS
2 links spicy Italian chicken sausage, uncooked, casings removed
3 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons of oil
5 medium carrots, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
7 cups of water
1/8th cup chicken/vegetable base
1/4 cup acini de pepe, ditali, or orzo
1 sprig Rosmary
1 sprig Greek oregano
2 bay leaves
2.5 tablespoons of cornstarch
4 cups fresh washed spinach, roughly chopped
(optional) hard aged cheese e.g., pecorino, parmigiano, asiago
Take sausage and cut into tablespoon sized pieces. Shape into balls using two spoons. In a medium high pan with 3 tbsp olive oil, drop sausage into pan. Turn when brown on one side. Cook until about 75% done. Remove from pan and set aside. Add another 2 tbsp olive oil to pan. Add celery, carrots, and onions with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir until well combined. Cover for about 5-8 minutes or until vegetables are slightly brown and caramelized in some spots. With a micro pane, grate garlic cloves into pot and stir for 30 seconds. Add wine to pan, making sure to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom. Cook until wine has reduced by half. Add water followed by chicken base, pasta, and herbs. Remove about 4 tablespoons of liquid from the pot and pour in a small condiment dish. Add cornstarch and whisk until very well combined and no longer lumpy. Pour cornstarch into slurry back into pot. Cover soup and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Uncover and reduce heat to medium. Stir occasionally until soup has thickened slightly and pasta has enlarged. Reduce heat to low and add chicken sausage back to pot. Stir one minute and cut heat. Lay spinach on top of each other and roll into a "tube." Cut half-inch strips and put into pot. Serve into bowls and top with grated cheese and a touch of olive oil.
Serves 4-6 people | 40 minutes
*While there might be aspects of this dish that may not be "authentic," I acknowledge that this is just my own personal take on the dish.
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