Modern Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

½ Medium Onion – Finely Chopped

1 Cup Mushrooms – Finely Chopped

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1.25 lbs Ground Turkey

2 Scallions – Finely Chopped

½ Cup Parsley – Finely Chopped

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

3 Large Cloves Garlic – Minced

½ tbsp Salt

½ tbsp Pepper

¼ Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 Egg – Beaten

¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese

In a pan over Med/High heat add about 2 tbsp EVOO and onion.  Sautee about 2 minutes.  Then add mushrooms and sautee 5 minutes.  Add in balsamic and sautee about 1 minute until almost all cooked out.  Turn off heat and set aside.

In a large bowl add turkey, scallions, parsley, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper.  In a separate bowl add egg, bread crumbs and cheese.  Beat until mixed then add into turkey mixture.

Combine everything with a fork until mixed but don’t overwork. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a baking sheet (with sides) roll meatballs into about a 1 inch ball.  I got 36 meatballs out of my mixture.  Put in oven and cook for about 20 minutes.  When finished set aside.

Soup

1 tbsp Bacon Fat

1 tbsp EVOO

2 Carrots – Peeled and finely diced

2 Celery – Finely diced

½ Med. Onion – Finely diced

4 Garlic Cloves – Minced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ Cup White Wine

6 Cups Chicken Stock

6 Cups Water

5 oz. Kale – Shredded

½ lb Thin Pasta – Broken into about 1 inch bits

2 eggs – Beaten

½ Cup Parmesan Cheese

In a large pot over med/high heat add bacon fat and EVOO.  Add carrots, celery, onion.  Sautee 5 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, garlic and sautee 5 minutes.  Add wine, sautee 1 minute and then add chicken stock, water and kale.  Simmer about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl add eggs and cheese and beat then add into soup and combine.  Break pasta into soup and simmer about 5 minutes.  Add in meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes.

Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.