MY GODFATHER SALVATORE

Saying you were Italian AND say you were Catholic to me was redundant. Your Italian, therefore you are Catholic.  We did actually have relatives who weren't Catholic.  My mom told me that they were 'duped' in changing their religion by a fast talking PROTESTANT minister. Yet it didn't affect the relationship because after all they were still family.  It wasn't until I was 33 years old and living in New York City did I actually meet an Italian who was Jewish (Was was that?)

The Italian/American subculture was and, to a large extent, is intertwined with religion..  Being born in the same family is the primary connection.  And, of course this means aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins and even 3rd cousins.  I went to a family reunion this past winter and meet 3rd cousins whom I had seen in years.(But that's another story.)  To a lesser extent, family also meant your cousins' Aunts and Uncles. I can remember referring to my Aunt Ang's sisters-in-laws and brothers-in-law as Aunt and Uncle.  And they referred to my mom and dad as Aunt and Uncle.

And just as important as being related by BLOOD, was the relationship you had with people contected with RELIGION. The term COMPARE (GUMANDI in Italian dialect.)  I remember in the film The Godfather, an American referred to all Italians as GUMBAS.  He meant as a derogatory term.   But being a COMPARE to Italian is a sacred relationship (We got got even with the Americans by referring them as MEDIGANS. This is another dialect term for which I have no idea how it would be spelled but it is spelled here phonetically.  Being a member a bridal party is the first way to establish this relationship because you are at the alter with the bride and groom and are witness to this religious sacrament. Many times, family members are part of the wedding party but just as many times, friends were chosen.

The second and probably more important religious connection was through Baptism. Being chosen as Godmother and Godfather was an important privilege.  This established your connection with the family and it was meant to mean everlasting.  You then became connected with your Godparents families, if they were not already connected.

I love the above picture so much. It SAYS more than I can ever aptly put into words. This picture was probably taken in 1948. The baby in this picture is me. The little boy in front of me is cousin Rocco. The older boy is cousin Dan and the girl is my sister Annette. The man upon whose lap I am sitting, is my Godfather, Salvatore Imbraguglio (I will have more to say about him and his family in a another blog). And the faceless man in the background is my father. I just love this picture, it’s so indicative of my Italian-American family experience. In this picture are members of my immediate family, my dad and sister; members of my extended family, my cousins; and my godfather, who though not related by blood, is connected to me by religion.

I wondered what recipe I could use with this narrative and because this is the Lenten Season, I thought I would use this one.  Enjoy.  And please add your comments at the end of this narrative.  If you would like to see some specific recipe please add that to your comment also.

 

                                                   ROASTED STUFFED PEPPERS

 

4 medium onions or red peppers

1 package (10 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 egg

1 lb. fresh ricotta cheese or 1 lb. feta cheese, crumbled

1-teaspoon black pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup grated Romano, Parmesan or Asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1.  Cut tops off of pepper and remove pulp and seeds and set aside. Set in roasting pan.

2.  Drain off excess water from spinach and set in large mixing bowl.

3.  Add remaining ingredients and mix.

4.  Fill centers of peppers with mixture and bake for 50 minutes.

Jackson Park 1925

MORE COLD SOUPS

It’s summer time in the city.  And it’s HOT! I am not a summer person, never was, and never will be. Even as a kid, I hated summer (except that there was no school)  I can remember sweltering in the 4^th floor apartment at 1117.  We lived on the top floor;  the roof was a flat black tarred roof and every summer in the heat we died!!!  Even cousin Sandra remembers sleeping on the floor with a fan directly on us.  Every window was open and even the back door to the apartment was left open. (We never had to worry about leaving it open all day and all night. It was not a problem.  My mom would say by the time any seedy characters climbed all those stairs, they would be too tired to bother us.  But in comparison to 1107, where at one time, there were 11 people living in that one apartment, I had it easy.  And every time I think about how hot it was, I remember this one little story my mom told me.

Uncle Tony used to refer t o his four sisters as the “Balloon sisters plus Bridgie”. This was in reference to their voluptuous body frames.  Aunt Bridgie was the thinnest.  But indeed all four sisters were “blessed”, as my dad would say. Even though they all were sisters, Aunt Lu and Aunt Bridgie were twins, they were all were different with distinct characteristics.  Auntie Ang, the oldest sister, was the most serious, taking on the role of oldest sister and eventually matriarch of the family. My mom, Teresa, was the most studious, although she never took herself serious and actually had a great sense of humor.  Aunt Lu and Aunt Bridgie, the Twins as they were referred to all their lives, were the most mischievous. 

Growing up, my mom told me numerous stories about their child hood, and although they lost their mom and dad as at early age, I heard a lot of funny stories.  One of my favorite stories, and till this day, it still brings laughter to the point of tears, dealt with Aunt Bridgie.  Knowing Aunt Bridgie makes this story even funnier.

For those of us who remember 1107 and the apartment layout, try to picture the middle bedroom.  Those bedrooms were all so tiny.  When they were growing up, my mom, Aunt Lu and Aunt Bridgie slept in one bed and Auntie Ang and Anonna, their grandmother, slept in another bed in the same room.  The boys, Uncle Jerry, Uncle Willie and Uncle Tony, slept in the dinning.  Zi Barone slept in the front bedroom (my mom said no one wanted to sleep with him so he was the only one who had a bed to himself.  My grandparents slept off the kitchen bedroom.  Damn.  I can’t imagine how they survived the summers.

My mom slept on the far left side of the bed, closest to the wall, Aunt Bridgie on the far right closet to the door and Aunt Lu in the middle.  One night, my mom woke up when you heard a thud.  She knew right away that Aunt Bridgie fell off the side of the bed.  She didn’t want to wake up Aunt Lu or let Aunt Bridgie know she heard, but she did try to suppress a laugh.  She remembered she struggled with that but did shake a little trying to quell the laugh.  Well, no such thing with Aunt Lu.  She also heard the thud on the floor and rather than suppress the laugh, she started to giggle as Aunt Lu to the end of her life always did.  As soon as my mom heard Aunt Lu, she did too. Aunt Bridgie was a not known to hold back on her language.  For woman in her time, she could give most sailors a run for their money when it came to cussing.  Well every possible cuss word came out of her mouth that night which of course made my mom and Aunt Lu laugh even more.   I wasn’t there, of course, but knew Aunt Bridgie well enough that in my mind’s eye I could picture that moment and be able to laugh until I cried. 

In any case, here’s a couple of cold soup recipes for your summer enjoyment. I have posted them before but thought it worth doing again. 

As always, please leave your comments at the end of this posting.

COLD CUCUMBER SOUP

3 Cucumbers, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped dill plus 1 teaspoon for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1.  Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth

2.  Serve in well chilled bowls and garnish with some chopped dill.

Variation:  Eliminate the garlic and substitute mint for the dill.

GAZPACHO

2 Cups Tomato Juice

1 large cucumber, peeled and diced

2 small onions, peeled and chopped

2 whole tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced, or 1 14 oz. can whole tomatoes

1 large green pepper, seeded and diced

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2-cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon, or 1/2 cup of lemon juice

1/2 cup half and half (can substitute 1/2 cup of yogurt)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dash of Tabasco sauce

Garnish:

Chopped parsley or cilantro

Diced Tomato

Chopped cucumber

Chopped red and green peppers

Red pepper flakes

1.            Put all the soup ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree into smooth. 

2.            Chill 3 hours or overnight.

3.            Serve in chilled soup dishes, if possible.  Allow each person to add his/her own garnishes.

As always, please leave your comments at the end of this posting.

CRAB CAKES

CRAB CAKES

I am sure my mom is looking down at me (could she be looking up instead?) and giving me a dirty look.  I really gave her a hard time eating. I was such a fussy eater, refusing anything that looked or smell funny. She would beg me to try something. But I always had a predetermined mind to any new food dish. Unlike my father and sister who would eat anything put in front of them, I wouldn’t.  Fortunately, that has changed a lot. 

As Lent continues, I will be adding additional meatless recipes.  I taught a vegetarian cooking class at the College of DuPage.  Here is one of the recipes I came across.  It can be used as an appetizer or a main course.  Feel free to double the recipe. It still works.

CRAB CAKE

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 pound cooked crab meat, flaked

1/4 cup bread crumbs, more as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

Additional breadcrumbs for dredging

Butter and oil for frying

1. Mix together the parsley, mustard, Worcestershire, eggs and mayonnaise.

2. Add the crab meat and crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and combine well but gently, so you don't        break up the crab meat.

3. Divide the mixture into 6 to 8 portions; flatten gently into thick patties.

4. Coat each patty lightly with crumbs. If possible, refrigerate for 30 minutes before sautéing.

5. Heat butter and a little oil, enough to generously cover the bottom, in a large fry pan over medium-high heat.

6. Add the crab patties and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

7. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or keep in warm oven till ready to serve.

Here’s a little hint about chopped herbs.   Many recipes call for small amounts of chopped herbs, such as parsley, basil, cilantro, etc.  Well you just can’t buy small amounts.  They come in bunches. I found an easy solution to having fresh herbs available.  When I buy a bunch,  I rinse it out thoroughly, dry it as much as I can.  Cut all the stems off and place the remaining leaves in a food processor and PROCESS.

You are left with more than you leave.  Use what the recipes call for and then place the rest in a tight container and freeze it.   The next time you need just a little bit, it’s right there.

ENJOY.

PEPPERS AND EGGS

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on here and have heard from a few people asking me to submit some new recipes. Since it is lent, I am going to post some meatless recipes.

Meatless Fridays!! How I hated them. I grew with EVERY Friday being meatless as well as Christmas Eve. I drove my mom nuts every Friday because I just hated fish of all kinds. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the only thing I would bring to lunch. Friday evening meals were worse. I can remember actually eating mustard sandwiches because I wouldn’t eat anything else except maybe a bowl of cereal. Bless my mom, she catered to me. I was such a brat!!! She would even prepare pancakes on a Friday just to accommodate my fussy eating habits

I don’t think Peppers and Eggs necessarily means that this is a favorite Lenten dish, but I believe it is the most identifiable. If you should ask an ‘ole’ Catholic what is the first thing that comes up in his/her mind when asked to name a Lenten dish, Peppers and Eggs would be it. Even now, on Hot Dogs stands have their Marquees signs featuring LENTEN SPECIAL PEPPERS AND EGGS.

I can still picture my mom making this Frittata in the cast iron skillet which I still have. It’s not necessary but it surely makes preparing this dish easier in a “seasoned” skillet. An important ingredient in this recipe is the Italian Bread. It’s worth your time and effort to find a bakery or store  that sells a great loaf of Italian crusty bread. In Chicago, the best place for Italian bread that I know is D'Amatos on Grand Avenue near Racine.

This recipe is good for at two healthy sandwiches.

1 green pepper, seeds and veins removed and cut into ½” strips

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat in the skillet (or non-stick skillet, saute garlic and oil until the garlic begins to sizzle. 
2. Add the green pepper  and cook until pepper strips are tender, about 15 minutes
3. In a medium size bowl, beat eggs and milk adding salt and pepper
4. Pour egg mixture over peppers and let them set briefly
5. With a wooden spatula, turn the eggs to allow the uncooked to reach the bottom. Be careful not to turn too much or you will have scrabbled eggs.
6. After the eggs are pretty well set, take a platter slightly larger than the skillet.  Place the platter face down over the skillet and carefully and quickly turn the skillet upside down to allow the eggs to fall on the platter
7. Place the skillet back over medium heat and slide the Frittata back in the skillet.
8. Continue to cook for just a minute or two remove from skillet and cut.
9. Slice the Italian bread in slice and place Frittata between two slices

ENJOY

St. Nick

ST. NICK!!!

As a kid, the Feast of St. Nicholas was never a big deal.  It really wasn’t a holiday.  So we did have to go school. We did learn about him in school and knew he was a kind man who distributed gifts to the poor kids in Turkey around the 3^rd Century.  He was sort of the precursor to Santa Claus, but Santa didn’t come till December 25^th. In my family, we never put out our shoes the night before December 6^th, his feast day.  BUT, this day has provided me with the most memorable impression I have of the entire holiday season.

Cousin Marilyn went out of town and she asked me if I would stay with her boys, Jason, Tony and Donny.  Never missing an opportunity to be with them, I did.  Jason was probably around 13, Tony around 7 and Donny 4.  I guess, since they were going to Catholic School, St. Nicholas day was discussed.  Jason by this time was too old to believe in St. Nick and Santa.  Donny was young enough to accept the reality of St. Nick and Santa.  Tony was probably at the age of questioning it but probably felt that if it involved getting presents, it was better to believe!!

Tony was the one who reminded me that St. Nicholas day was approaching.  I got the hint!  But I also reminded him that St. Nick would only come if he was being good.  For the next few days, I had to remind him that he wasn’t being such a good kid and that he better change that because St. Nick was watching.  Well Tony was being Tony.  And he wasn’t that good in spite of my warnings.  And Donny was just following his lead and he wasn’t actually the model child either. And I kept warning them!!!

The evening of December 5^th came and by this time I got tired of warning Tony and Donny.  I would get even!!!!  St. Nick would not leave them presents that night. I mentioned this to Jeannine, their aunt and she laughed saying I wouldn’t have the nerve or the heart to do it. I was, however, determined.

That night, Tony and Donny left out their shoes at the fireplace downstairs.  I took Jason aside and told him to put out one of his shoes too. Jason was going to get something. They weren’t.  That night, after they all went to sleep - keeping in mind that Tony gave me his usual hard time going to bed, I filled Jason’s shoe with little presents, but for the other two, I wrote a note.  I can’t remember the exact wording but it went something like this:  “Dear Tony and Donny, I was unable to leave you any presents tonight.  You both were so bad that I decided against it. However, if you both will be good today, I will come back and bring presents.”

There are moments in life, nanoseconds even, in which you glimpse, and that leaves an indelible mark in your mind.  I had one the next morning.

I made it a point to wake up a little earlier that morning and get downstairs to the basement to wait for the three boys to come down.  I didn’t have to wait long. Tony and Donny came barreling down the stairs.  They rushed to the fireplace and grabbed the note.  I will never forget that moment.  There was this nanosecond when Tony read the note and his expression turned from high anticipation to utter disbelief.  I wish I had a camera.  This was more than a Kodak moment. I don’t think Donny knew what was going on, just that they had no presents. What made it even funnier was that Jason received something and they didn’t. 

As you may have guessed by now, that day, both Tony and Donny behaved.  The next morning St. Nick came back and left them presents.

Of course, you do get a recipe!!

Since the holidays are approaching I will be presenting some timely recipes.  When I taught for William-Sonoma’s lunchtime classes, I did a class on Christmas candies.  Here are a few.

Enjoy and please leave a comment at the end of the entry.

CHOCOLATE NUT PATTIES

¾  cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

2 Tablespoons butter

½ cup sweetened condensed milk

1 Cup salted mixed nuts, coarsely chopped

1.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil

2.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, over hot water.

3. When the ingredients have just melted, remove pot from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. 

4.  Beat in the condensed milk and then the nuts.

5.  Drop the candy by tablespoons onto the cookie sheet and refrigerate until set.

Makes about 2 dozen 

                     QUICK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate

½ Cup butter

¾ Cup sweetened condensed milk

2 Cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter

1.  Line an 8-inch square baking pan with wax paper

2.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and when it is half melted, add the butter          and continue to melt the entire mixture.

3.  Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

4.  Whisk in the condensed milk slowly.

5.  Gradually beat in the sugar.

6.  Beat in the peanut butter.

7.  Spread the mixture in the pan and chill until firm, preferable overnight.

8.  Cut into 25 pieces.

              

                                                     PRALINES

2 Cups brown sugar

½ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-cup pecan pieces

1.   Mix brown sugar and water in a large skillet

2.   Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened to a creamy texture.

3.   Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans and immediately spoon on wax paper.

4.   Allow to cool

Stuffing

Thanksgiving II

What’s Thanksgiving without dressing?  I think I like dressing more than I like the turkey.  The following recipe is my mom’s.  I am not sure where she got it. In the back of my mind, I think she said she Aunt Rosie De Leonardis gave it to her (She another character in the list of family members I hope to feature. And WOW, what a character she was.

This is a type of recipe that you should only use once a year.  It’s certainly is an artery clogger!!  But it is my favorite.

                                            TURKEY DRESSING

½ lb. bacon

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 lb. package croutons or favorite package stuffing

2 sticks margarine, melted

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup of Parmesan, Romano cheese

3 tablespoons parsley

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 pound fresh mushrooms, finely chopped or 8 oz. can of mushrooms

1.  Slice bacon and sauté in a large skillet until transparent, not crisp. Remove bacon from skillet.

2.  In same skillet, sauté onions and celery until transparent.

3.  Place croutons in a large bowl. Add melted margarine and toss into croutons.

4.  Add eggs to bowl.

5.  Add spices, bacon, onions and celery with the bacon drippings.

6.  Add mushrooms and toss all the ingredients with your hands.

7.  Fill turkey and bake as per turkey recipe; or,

8.  Place stuffing in baking pan and place in preheated 375-degree oven for 1 to 1          ¼ hour.  Bake until golden brown.

Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  My mother’s grandmother, Anonna, called this the “Festa di Gallina”, Feast of the Chicken. Don’t ask why she called it that.  There probably were no turkeys in the part of Italy from which she came.

I love this time of the year.  For me, autumn begins the day after Labor Day.  Although 90 degree temperatures can occur, they become rarer as September continues.  I like sweater weather and sleeping with light blankets at night.  I like the daylight waning in the evenings. It’s comfort weather.  I think the reason why I like this time of the year was because of the anticipation of the holiday season, even though it wasn’t until November and December that they occurred. I had a mother who started play Christmas Carols in October.  Every Christmas, she gave her nieces homemade ornaments she started making in September.

Over the years, the venue for Thanksgiving changed.  I remember going to Auntie Ang’s for dinner, then to Felicia, then my mother having it and then to cousin Sandra’s. It was a less stressful holiday.  There were no decorations to put up, no presents to buy, and usually no bad weather with which to deal.  Only cooking!!!! And I can still smell the aroma of the turkey cooking in the oven.

I know you are expecting a recipe and there is one at the bottom of the page. However, before I present one, I am going to narrate the way to cook a turkey as given to me my by Uncle Jerry. It’s the best way to cook a turkey that I know.  Feel free to leave your own method in the comment section following this Post.

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.  Place your turkey breast side up in a roasting pan that has a cover. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan at least an inch up.  When the oven has been pre-heated place the turkey uncovered for 20 minutes.  This gives the opportunity for the skin of the turkey to brown.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 and place the roasting pan cover on the turkey.  At this temperature, the water in the pan simmers and creates steam which keeps your turkey moist.  Time in the oven depends on the size of your turkey. I like the turkeys with the built in thermometers already in the turkey breast. When the little thermometer pops up, the turkey is done.  You will probably note that the turkey breast has loosened from the breast bone. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 15 minutes before carving.  I guarantee that this will be best turkey you have cooked.  All the meat falls cleanly from the bones. Thank you Uncle Jerry!!!!

So there’s your turkey.  As you may be aware, in our family, and in countless other Italian families, turkey is just one of so many dishes.  Somewhere on the table you find, pasta, insalada, bread, meatballs, sausage, braciole, besides sweet potatoes, and vegetable dishes. And save room for desserts.

The following recipe was given to me by a friend.  It’s a long process, but it is worth the effort. When you first start the recipe, you may think that is a huge amount.  But it reduces quite a bit.  It won’t be that much.  It can easily be doubled without compromising the taste. And a little on your plate goes a long way.

                                         FUNGI ALLA TOSCANA

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil or butter or combination of the two

2 Tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup red wine

1 lb. mushrooms (halved if too big)

2 green peppers cut into one inch squares

Sauté onion in olive oil/butter until transparent.  Add mushrooms and green peppers and sauté for a few minutes.

In a bowl, mix vinegar, anchovy paste, Dijon mustard and brown sugar into a loose paste.  Add the red wine and stir.

Add wine mixture to vegetables and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat

and simmer for 1 to 2 hours or until sauce is very reduced and thick.

ENJOY!!

HALLOWEEN

The little story I about to tell you has nothing to do with Halloween.  But it’s a great seg way into the next recipe.

About twenty five years ago, Bobby McFerrin had a Number One hit called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.  It was a catchy tune and the lyrics were pretty simple. The song caught on instantly and most of us were singing this simple line.  It’s a nice thought. Don’t worry about a thing and just be happy.  But it really wasn’t that easy. Happiness is relative and your ideas of happiness are elusive and at best only in your mind.  What makes you happy? Health? Wealth? Fame? All the way down the gambit.  But these exist in your mind foremast and cannot really be held in your hand.  Does healthy simply mean free if illnesses? Or does it include beauty?  How much money would you you need to be satisfied in order to make you happy?

BUT, my nephew Don Vincent had the perfect answer what made him happy.  I can still see him running around the house singing “Don’t Worry, Eat Cookies”.  At first it just struck me as cute and child like.  But after giving it some thought, I really found it quite profane.  Here is something tangible, something you can actually put in your hands and SEE.  At this point, your immediate focus is not on worrying but on eating a cookie!!  How easy is that!!!! DON’T WORRY – EAT COOKIES.

I researched the following recipe when I held a class on holiday cookies.  It is certainly appropriate for this time of year.  Enjoy!  And please leave a comment at the end of this recipe.

PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES

 

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

¾ cup (1 ½ stick) butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1 can pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)

½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1.     In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice.

2.     In a larger bowl, mix brown sugar, white sugar and butter with an electric mixer set at medium speed until well combined.

3.     Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla and blend until light and fluffy

4.     Add flour mixture and raisins to liquid and with a wooden, stir until all ingredients are well blended.  Do not over mix.

5.     Drop by rounded tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 1 ½ inches apart

6.     Bake for 24 minutes, or until cookies are browned along the edges.

7.     Cool slightly and transfer to a cooling rack.

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

MINISTRA MARITATA

Well here’s a kicker for you!!  Last night I received a phone call from a friend of mine, asking me if I had a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup.  A couple of years ago when I was teaching, I held a class on just soup.  I researched the recipe and presented it to the class.  When I was a kid I had never heard of Italian Wedding Soup. It was simply chicken broth with meatballs. No one ever talk about this soup being served at weddings.  But I did assume it was.  Since meatballs first originated in Sicily, I thought it was a Sicilian custom, although I didn’t see it served at Michael’s and Apollonia’s wedding.  (Think about that and let me know if you figured it out)

I decided to some research on the soup. The kicker is that name comes for the Italian word, MARITATA, which means MARRIAGE. The name of the soup is derived from the MARRIAGE of the ingredients in the soup and not because it is served at weddings. There are a number of different variants of Italian wedding soup, but all the recipes for it call for the addition of tiny meatballs, which can be made of pork, pork and beef mixed together.

This recipe probably makes enough for 8 servings. If you want to halve the recipe, you can do so with out any problems.  If you do want to make the entire recipe and freeze some of it, keep the meatballs and broth separate.  The meatballs will become soggy and absorb a lot of the broth.

At an Italian meal, soup is the first course and then comes the pasta.  If you are serving pasta at the meal, there is no need to add pasta to the soup.  As a matter of fact it's a gourmet mistake. However, if you are not, then you can add pasta. I would use the tiny pastas, such as “pastina”, orzo, or any other small shaped pasta. If you are freezing some, do not freeze with the pastas in the soup.  As with the meatballs, the pasta will absorb most of the liquid and become soggy

                         ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Meatballs:

     1 lbs. ground beef, or ground pork, or combination of both

1 egg, beaten

1-teaspoon garlic, minced

½ medium-sized onion, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

¼ cup grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese

½ cup breadcrumbs

Broth:

6 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth, or 11 cups of homemade chicken broth

½ chopped medium onion

3 carrots, sliced and chopped

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, (optional)

1-10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach (squeezed dry, or

1 package fresh spinach, chopped

You can substitute 1 cup of chopped parsley for the spinach

For the meatballs, preheat oven to 375 degrees

1.     Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly mix.

2.     Form meatballs, the size of a round quarter

3.     Arrange formed meatballs on baking sheet

4.     Bake for 20 minutes.

5.     Remove from baking sheet and drain on paper towel

6.     Combine onion and carrots and salt with chicken broth

7.     Simmer for 15 minutes

8.     Add pepper flakes and chopped spinach

9.     Add meatballs and simmer for 30 minutes.

ENJOY