Italian Wedding Soup

2 medium heads escarole, cleaned and chopped

8 cups chicken broth

1 pound ground beef

4 eggs, divided

1 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1.	In a large pot of boiling water, add the escarole and cook until it wilts (this removes the bitter taste from the greens). Remove from heat and strain the greens from the water. When cooled, squeeze out all excess liquid.
2.	In a separate pot over medium heat, bring the broth to a boil. In a separate large bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, basil, parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix well and form into bite-size balls. Drop the balls into the broth. When they rise to the top, they are cooked.
3.	Add the escarole to the broth. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 3 eggs with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Pour this mixture into the soup, stirring continuously, until the egg is cooked.

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Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/16/2008

Ital-American Meatballs

2 slices white sandwich bread, stale 1/2 pound ground pork 1/2 pound ground veal 1/2 pound ground beef chuck 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 medium onion, grated (about 1/4 cup) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large egg, beaten Freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup olive oil, divided Quick Marinara Sauce, recipe follows Serving suggestions: 1 pound cooked spaghetti or linquini Grate the bread or pulse into crumbs in a food processor. In a small bowl toss the bread crumbs with 1/3 cup cold milk to re-hydrate. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, pork, veal, beef, Parmesan, parsley, salt, onion, garlic, and egg and mix until combined. Season the meat mixture with pepper. Using your hands, gently form the meat mixture into 18 slightly larger than golf ball-sized balls. (Packing the meat mixture too tightly together will result in tough meatballs). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Drain the oil and wipe out the skillet, return to the heat, and repeat with the remaining oil and meatballs. Drain and wipe out the skillet again. Return all the meatballs to the skillet and pour in the marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, swirling the pan occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through about 15 minutes. The cheese in the meatballs will start to melt when the meatballs are ready. Serve immediately with the Quick Marinara Sauce and spaghetti or on sandwiches. If serving with spaghetti, toss with 1/3 of the sauce.These meatballs can be stored, covered in the refrigerator for 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 weeks. Copyright (c) 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved. Quick Marinara Sauce 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons) 4 cloves garlic, sliced 3 (28-ounce) cans whole, peeled, tomatoes, roughly chopped 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves chopped 2 teaspoons kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the herb sprigs and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes or until thickened Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper, to taste. Serve or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Copyright (c) 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Episode#: BW2E08
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Italian Sausage Soup

"This soup is easy to put together, and the flavor of the spicy sausage is balanced nicely by Great Northern beans, zucchini, fresh spinach, and carrots. Makes a delicious winter supper."

1 pound Italian sausage 1 clove garlic, minced 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes 1 cup sliced carrots 1 (14.5 ounce) can Great

Northern beans, undrained 2 small zucchini, cubed 2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt

1.	In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2.	Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
3.	Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.