Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Stracciatella

A cold steady rain arrived in East Tennessee today and 3/4ths of our clan are also figuratively "under the weather".  

It is one of those days that you just want to crawl up under a blanket with a good person, a captivating book, or hell, even something good on TV.    You just don't want to be spending hours in the kitchen after working all day.

Those circumstances call for soup.  It's easy to make and it heals & warms from within.  I decided to go with an egg drop soup from Rome called Stracciatella.  Several recipes I saw said that it is named after an Italian word for "little rags" for the pieces of egg but others said it simply means "torn".   Alexis had some left over yeast roll dough in the freezer so we baked them in small balls and tossed these mini rolls in some garlic butter. 

The bowls are hand made by Benji and Melissa at Stony Clay Station in Lenoir City

Stracciatella
adapted from Joy of Cooking (1997)

Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 small shallot, finely diced
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese
  • 2 Tbsp dry unseasoned breadcrumbs
  • 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add butter and saute the shallot until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
  3. Mix the eggs, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and garlic together.  
  4. Steadily pour the egg mixture into the simmering chicken stock, stirring rapidly for 30 to 60 seconds.  Don't worry if it looks like someone boiled a paper towel to shreds at this point.  Remember the name?  
  5. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.  I used 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper

 It was just what the doctor ordered! Alexis said it reminded her of the Sopa de Ajo we often make when feeling under the weather.

[Standard Disclaimer]  We pay full price for the Stony Clay Station products that we use and receive no compensation.