escarole with tiny veal meatball soup

By shelbyfranklin

everyone in my family loves this soup. i made it for thanksgiving 3 years ago for 25 people and they have all asked me to make it every thanksgiving since.
its a little labor intensive, but from the reaction i have received i would say its worth the work!

Ingredients

• ingredients:
• 1/2 head of escarole
• 1 1/2 large carrots
• 12 cups chicken stock (you can make your own, i have a good recipe or buy 3 boxes of kitchen basics)
• 4 ounce ditalini or tubetti pasta
• freshly grated parmesan reggiano
• meatball ingredients:
• 1/2 pound veal
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs (i usually use less)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano
• 1/4 cup finely minced onion (use cheese grater)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Preparation

Step 1

trim the escarole and discard any bruised leaves. cut off the stem ends. separate leaves and wash in cool water. stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into 1" strips should equal 4 cups.
combine escarole, carrots and stock into large pot, bring to a simmer and cook until escarole is almost tender, about 30 minutes.

meatballs:
while escarole is simmering, combine veal, breadcrums, cheese, onion, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. shape into TINY balls, less than 1" in diameter.

when escarole is almost tender, meatballs and return soup to simmer. cook on low heat stirring gently until meatballs are cooked = about 20 minutes, stir in pasta and cook an additional 7 minutes until pasta is al dente.


taste for seasoning
serve hot with grated parmesan