My mother  is just as beautiful today as she was on her wedding day over 53 years ago.  Mom's wedding soup is one of my personal favorites, and is the most traditional of Southern Italian soups. 

It is often served on wedding days to bring happiness, love and health to the newlyweds, but it's easy enough to serve on any day, especially a chilly winter day.

Although I have added a few of my own touches over the years, the basic recipe belongs to Mama.

Buon Appetito!

Natalie





ONLINE SPECIAL

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF $50.00 OR MORE!

CLICK ON PHOTO TO
SHOP NOW!

Minestra Maritata
(Italian Wedding Soup)

When organic ingredients are available, that is what I use in all of my recipes.

1.  Prepare the Stock:

1 cut up whole chicken
2 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 medium yellow onion diced
1/2 fennel head (uncut)
2 large cans of chicken broth
6 to 8 cups of water
salt and pepper to taste

2.  Place above ingredients in a large stock pot and simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours to create a tasty broth.  When the broth is done, remove chicken, de-bone and chop the meat of the chicken into bite sized pieces.  Then strain the broth through a cheesecloth lined colander into another large pot.

3.  Soup Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 package fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup grated parmigiana cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1 shot glass of anisette liqueur
1 lb Acini di Pepe (or other tiny pasta).  Cook to package directions (al dente) and set aside.
1lb. tiny Italian meatballs (see recipe below)
salt and pepper to taste

4.  Prepare the Meatballs:

Mix together the following with your hands:  2 eggs, 1/2 lb. ground meat of your choice, 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, 3 tsp. minced garlic, 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiana cheese, 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley, 1 tsp salt, black pepper to taste, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil.  Add water or milk until you have the consistency of stiff mashed potatoes  Roll into bite sized meatballs.

5.  Put It All Together:

Get the prepared broth boiling in a large pot and add to it the shot of anisette and the raw meatballs and let this simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked.  Now add the diced chicken, baby spinach, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Let cook about 2 minutes more.  Whisk together the eggs and the cheese, and while the broth is boiling, drizzle the mixture into the soup slowly, stirring constantly until cooked through the broth.  I like to keep the pastina separate from the soup until it is time to serve it, because it keeps the pastina from becoming mushy and the starch from dissolving into your wonderful broth.  (Serves 8 to 10)