It was a small ceremony with immediate family only but I offered to host a family dinner the next day after they left for their honeymoon so we could all celebrate this wonderful occasion. We did a buffet style dinner for the seventeen people who came and served Cornish Game hens with Wild Rice Casserole, the Italian Wedding Soup and everyone brought salads and side dishes.
The weather cooperated and we had a beautiful evening and sunset, perfect with our view and newly remodeled deck. It wasn't too cold on Friday so people were able to go outside and watch the city change as the sun went down. We couldn't have asked for a better evening.
The five children who came also had a great time. The children were two sets of siblings who had never met but became best buddies once they got together.
They especially had fun once I brought out our LED gloves that I received at our family white elephant Christmas gift exchange this year. This is the first time we've gotten them out since Christmas and they were a hit. After the adults had fun with them, the kids got them all to themselves. I knew when I got them for Christmas that they would be great entertainment at parties.
Bruce opened a bottle of champagne and we had a group toast in honor of the bride and groom who were, by now, well on their way to a new life together enjoying their honeymoon in Canada.
This soup recipe is so good that I would recommend that you don't wait until you have a wedding to celebrate. Make it now, this winter, and enjoy this hardy and flavorful soup today. For me, I will always remember this recipe as part of another wonderful and memorable family celebration.
Makes 8 servings
For the meatballs:
3/4 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 tsp. minced garlic ( 2 cloves)
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
3 Tbsp. milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soup:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
10 cups homemade chicken stock or good quality store-bought
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars (I used orzo pasta)
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Percorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork.
3. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1-1/4 inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.)
4. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
5. In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil.
7. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
8. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute.
9. Taste for salt and pepper.
10. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted.
11. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.
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