Meatball Soup

Elishia Tucker

Great for feeding a crowd. Filling, satisfying and tastes better on day two and three.

ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 med yellow onions chopped
3 large carrots chopped
3 celery stalks
2-3 turnips (or potatoes)
6 cloves of garlic minced
2-3 bay leaves
pinch of chili flakes
water
salt and pepper
Can of tomatoes
1 head of escarole, roughly chopped and washed, or substitute kale
2 lemons
parmesan cheese to garnish: optional
Meatballs:
1.5 lbs. of buffalo meat (optional)
1.5 lb of beef (90%) lean
7 turns of freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
chili flakes, 2 good pinches
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
3 eggs
1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup of romano cheese

directions

1
Use a heavy bottomed soup pot.
2
1. Saute together until onion and other vegetables are beginning to get golden brown. Add a small (1/4 cup) piece of either ground meat. Break it up as you saute the vegetables. Add a couple pinches of salt and 4-5 turns of fresh black pepper. Then add enough water to cover the vegetables by 4-5 inches. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer.
3
2. When turnips (or potatoes) are soft then add one regular size can of whole peeled tomatoes – break them up with your hands as you add them and add all of the tomato liquid in the can.
4
3. Meatballs: Combine all of the ingredients with your hands. Take a small piece and saute until cooked. Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking. Keeping in mind that the flavor will get slightly diluted when they are added to the soup.
5
Roll into small (1/2”) tight balls and then in a saute pan, separate from the vegetables. Saute in until slightly browned on the outside turning just once. Don’t add any oil and just wipe the pan with a paper towel between batches. You can do them in the oven under the broiler but the texture won’t be as good as in the pan batch by batch. As they are finished drop them into the soup so they can finish cooking.
6
4. Add a bit more water so there is about an inch of space above the meatballs. The meatballs will float so push them down to check this.
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5. Bring the soup to a light boil and add the escarole and squeeze in the juice of one lemon and add a pinch of salt.
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6. Once all of the meatballs and kale have been added then let it simmer for 15 min.
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7. Then season to taste with additional lemon, salt and pepper.
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8. Serve hot with gratings of parmesan cheese, wedges of lemon and chili flakes.