Dinner Tonight: La Stracciatella (Roman Egg Drop Soup)
After making Avgolemono a few weeks ago, I've been on the lookout for myriad ways that eggs and chicken stock can be combined to make soup. As sickness comes and goes and the cold of winter makes nothing more appealing than a bowl of chicken soup, new ideas are always welcome. In the case of Avgolemono, whipped eggs whites and lemon juice gave the soup an appealing lightness and acidity, while the result was still rich and chickeny. So when I was flipping through Mario Batali's Molto Italiano
It's also a little easier to pull off. Freshly grated nutmeg replaces the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese adds complexity and a round flavor. Chopped parsley goes in for freshness, and a little bit of semolina (pasta) flour to thicken. All you need to do is combine the ingredients with a bit of cold chicken stock, then whisk that into boiling hot stock over low heat. The egg breaks up into little "shreds" (stracciatelle), the Parmesan disappears into the broth, and the result is comfort food.
Roman Egg Drop Soup
- serves 4 -
Ingredients
6 cups chicken stock
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons semolina flour
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Separate one cup of the stock and chill if not already refrigerated. Heat the remaining 5 cups in a large saucepan until it boils.
2. Meanwhile, combing the cold broth, eggs, flour, cheese, parsley, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and whisk until well blended.
3. Whisk the egg mixture into the boiling broth, stirring constantly. Turn the heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve in warmed bowls topped with more grated Parmesan and parsley if desired.
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5 Comments:
Can the semolina flour be replaced by regular flour? I have everything else in my pantry, except for semolina flour...
anado at 8:37PM on 02/21/08
anando: If you have it, Cream of Wheat makes a good substitute because it is made from durum wheat. If not, try with regular flour--there's very little in the dish anyway so I don't think it will taste all that different. Good luck!
Blake Royer at 8:53PM on 02/21/08
Funny.. last week I had my wisdom teeth out, and "invented" this soup, having it a few times. It truly is a comfort food.. I didn't use any flour, and wish I'd had parsley, but heating up chicken stock, whip in the egg and parm, and bang.. italian style egg drop. Glad to see my instincts weren't totally wacky!
cheflaura at 10:39PM on 02/21/08
I need to read better. I had to read this four times to realize what you did with the reserved cup of broth. Oh well. Looks good. I'll have to try this one.
bytehead at 11:07AM on 02/22/08
Can I substitute anything for the cheese to make it more kosher-friendly?
Stufsocker at 11:32AM on 02/25/08