Recipe Hub: Stracciatella, A Soup Made Of Things Likely to Be In Your Fridge Right Now

It's also pretty good!

Sometimes, in life, it is February and it is snowing and you maybe stayed out too late last night, and you don't have a fully stocked fridge but also don't feel like running to the grocery store because you would much prefer to lie in bed and feel very cozy and watch British murder mystery shows and think of a good excuse for not attending an Oscar thing. That may seem like a very specific situation, but I believe it is probably at least somewhat universal. In spirit.

SO! What I am making for lunch today is a very good and comforting soup that I can make with things that happen to be in my kitchen right now. It's stracciatella, which is kind of an Italian egg drop soup. And yes, it is also a kind of ice cream but we are not making ice cream. Who makes ice cream in February?

The main things you need to make it are chicken broth, Parmesan cheese (or Parmesan-Reggiano, your choice), eggs, and nothing that isn't already in your spice cabinet. It's kind of one of those things where what you put in it after that really depends on what you have on hand.

Here's the basics:

Chicken broth, however much you want
1 egg for every cup of chicken broth
Salt and Pepper, to your taste (my taste is "all the pepper")
Whatever seasonings you like (I usually put some onion powder in there, a little cayenne if I wanna clear my sinuses, basil, parsley, the usual)
Parmesan cheese, probably like a tablespoon per cup?

So, you're gonna crack the eggs, put your seasonings and cheese in and whisk it all up. Put it aside. Then heat up the chicken broth on the stove for a bit. Then, while it's simmering, gently pour your egg mixture in and stir until the eggs look cooked, and then you're done. Ta-da!

And here's some other stuff you can add, if you want:

Spinach (that's kind of the traditional Roman way of doing things, frozen is totally fine)
Fresh Parsley (in this case, put some in the egg mixture, some in the soup itself)
Escarole
Whatever other kind of leafy green you have on hand and like in your soup
Garlic powder (fine, you're probably not supposed to but I do anyway)
Cayenne or red pepper (good if you've got a sinus thing)
Semolina flour (this thickens the soup and makes it a little heartier — if I'm making one serving I usually put like a teaspoon in)
A little olive oil
Pine nuts
Ditalini or acini di pepe pasta (we used to call it "baby teeth pasta," no idea how universal that is)
Nutmeg
Breadcrumbs (also for thickening, will probably use these today since I'm not sure I have Semolina)
Cannellini beans
Tiny meatballs

Really, the possibilities are pretty much endless and depend entirely on what you like in your soup/happen to have that day, which I think is most people's preferred method of cooking anyway. It's mine at least.

And now, I'm gonna go actually make that, and you all may talk amongst yourselves in the open thread! Enjoy!

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