Easy as ABC Monday: E is for Escarole
Escarole is a variety of chicory with bitter, bright green leaves. Similar to kale and spinach, it’s packed with nutrients. It’s eaten raw in salads but I usually prepare it by steaming or braising. I love escarole and beans, but my absolute favorite way to eat escarole is in Italian Wedding Soup, where escarole is cut into thin strips and cooked in broth.
Italian Wedding Soup is appealing for a variety of reasons. It has little meatballs, pastini, and a chicken broth base. It’s a perfect soup for little mouths and the escarole adds vitamins and nutrients. Even if the escarole is overcooked or your picky eater picks it out, you’re cooking it in the broth so any lost nutrients will just be absorbed by the soup and pasta. It’s a win, win situation.
Italian Wedding Soup
Meatballs:
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (substitute 1 tbsp dried)
1/3 cup chopped fresh oregano (substitute 1 tbsp dried)
1 large egg
1 clove garlic minced (or one teaspoon if it’s jarred)
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces (you can use a cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 lb meatloaf mix (meatloaf mix is usually ground pork and beef but you can use ground white meat turkey for some or all of the meat to lower fat and calories)
black pepper to taste
Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth (make your own if you have time!)
1 pound of escarole, thinly sliced
1 cup pastini (or other small pasta)
1 or 2 carrots (about 3/4 cup), finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Meatballs: Stir the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and meat. Shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. You should have between 20-25. Place on a baking sheet.
Soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, pasta and escarole and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, pasta is al dente, and the escarole is tender. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
A few notes. If you have time, precook the pasta. That way you can add the cooked, drained, pasta to the soup and it won’t suck up all the broth. If you’re so inclined, brown the meatballs before adding them to the soup. It’s not necessary, but it adds a nice flavor. If you’re trying to sneak veggies past your picky eater kids you can grind them in the food processor and add them to the meatballs. If you brown the meatballs before adding them they probably won’t notice.
My StumbleUpon Page
Leave a Reply