ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

There's a lunch place around the corner from where I worked at the design 'ho house that serves many very good sandwiches and salads and assorted hot dishes, but of all their wares I favor the generally exceptional soups, the best of which is an Italian Wedding soup so tasty that I determined to learn to make the stuff at home. I hit the Internet and checked out about twenty recipes from which I picked and chose the bits and pieces that held the most appeal to me, and about a month and a half ago I made my first pot of the stuff and it turned out quite well. It may look intimidating, but trust me when I tell you it's surprisingly easy to craft in two steps, namely making the meatballs first and then the soup.

PART 1: MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS

Ground beef (1 pound)
Ground pork (1 pound)
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon of onion powder
Ground Peccorino Romano cheese (I recommend a fistful)
1 tablespoon of dried basil
2 eggs
Bread crumbs
Cream

Thoroughly mix the pork and beef together in a large mixing bowl, along with the eggs, salt and pepper (a liberal pinch of each), onion powder, Peccorino Romano, dried basil and bread crumbs. At this point I recommend adding as much cream as needed to make the mixture somewhat loose but firm enough to mold meatballs out of; the meatballs should be about the size of an average walnut, and when rolling them keep a pan of water nearby to keep your hands moist so the meat mixture won't stick to you, thus allowing you to come up with aesthetically pleasing spherical shapes. Once finished rolling the meatballs, set them aside on a plate in the fridge and get cracking on the soup.

PART 2: SOUP

INGREDIENTS

128 ounces of chicken stock
1 large onion
Garlic cloves (how many is up to you, but I go with a handful)
3 medium/large carrots
Fresh thyme
2 eggs
3 bay leaves
1 pound of finely chopped spinach
2/3 box of orzo pasta

Pour the chicken stock into a large stew pot and feel free to adjust the liquid quantity as necessary, using more stock or water if you prefer. Chop up the onion into small pieces and chop the carrots into the standard coin shapes. Take peeled garlic cloves — however many you like — and smash them with the flat side of a chef's knife or cleaver. Strip the leaves off the fresh thyme and drop directly into the pot. Finely chop the spinach, and when that's done bring the stock to a boil. Once the stock is boiling, rake the vegetables and bay leaves straight into the pot, then lower the temperature and allow to simmer until the onions more or less melt (I prefer them that way, but feel free to allow the onions to be more firm if you like). While that's going on, whip the two eggs in a small bowl and set it aside. Take the meatballs out of the fridge and drop individually into the soup. Stir carefully once, making sure that the meatballs do not stick to each other. Cover the soup and let simmer for fifteen minutes, by which time the meatballs will be thoroughly cooked and firm. Remove from heat and smoothly stir in the whipped eggs. Let sit for ten minutes and serve.