Italian wedding soup with mini lemon, basil and chicken meatballs

Happy new year dear reader.

I hope your festivities were as food and drink filled (and fuelled) as mine. If like me, you’re one of the millions of people now feeling a little wobblier than usual and craving healthier meals, you may be kicking off your new years eatings in the same way.

Eating delicious and interesting food is important to me all year round, and I certainly don’t believe that being ‘good’ has to mean being boring. At the moment our house is seeing the return of winter salads, broths, slinky vegetable crammed soups, and oriental aromatics. And these and a little extra gym time are already helping feelings of normality to return.

If you haven’t tried this soup before I urge you (actually, I plead) give it a go – once you discover how easy and tasty it is I’m confident it will make its way into your regular dish repertoire.

This Italian soup is usually laced with more indulgent ingredients – the delightfully salty percorino cheese, Parmesan, chicken sausage, eggs and breadcrumbs, I miss them out in my version of this classic but not to the detriment of the dish – the broth packs a punch, the fluffy little meatballs are aromatic and juicy, and the overall dish feels both healthy and delicious.

For two, with some leftover for the next day (unless you scoff it all, which is a distinct possibility)

• 3 large / 4 regular carrots, peeled, top and tailed, and grated – I use my food processor for this, on the fine setting
• 2 celery stalks, top and tailed and grated the same as the carrots
• 4/5 handfuls small pasta shapes – I used trafilata al bronzo (pasta forced through bronze moulds to create curled and slightly rough ribbons) but orzo or your favourite small shape will work too
• 350g skinless and boneless chicken thighs (or breast if you prefer, but thighs are cheaper, tastier and more succulent)
• A large handful fresh basil
• 1 large red or golden onion, half finely diced, the remaining half left whole
• A fat clove of garlic, smoked if you have it but if not don’t worry
• The rind of one unwaxed lemon
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1.5L chicken stock – if you aren’t using fresh stock I’d suggest using pork stock cubes, they have a far better and more authentic taste than chicken cubes
• A large glass of dry white wine
• Unsalted butter
• Olive oil for frying
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• A couple of handfuls fresh spinach

Method : First the dumplings

1. Into a food processor place the lemon rind, chicken, basil, half onion, garlic, and lots and lots of salt and pepper. Blitz for a minute or two so the mixture is finely and thoroughly chopped and mixed.
2. Form into small balls, you should be able to get 12 or more out of the mix, depending on the size you make them, and set aside on a plate.
3. Once you’ve used all the mix to make the balls, place a knob of unsalted butter and glug of cooking olive oil into a frying pan and turn it onto a high heat. When the butter starts to foam place the meatballs into the pan. Cook them on all sides, you’re looking to get them nice and brown, this should take around 10 to 15 minutes depending on your hob (am having to work on electric at the minute which seems to take a bit longer to do things) once nice and golden remove and set aside.

Now onto the soup

1. In a deep bottomed saucepan place another knob of butter and glug of cooking olive oil. Bring to temperature on a medium-high heat and once the butter begins to lightly foam, add the chopped onion.
2. Cook for around 6 to 7 minutes, stirring continuously, and once the onion begins to turn translucent (not brown) you want to add the carrot and celery. Stir and cook for a few minutes, then add the wine, stock, generous scrunch of pepper.
3. Bring to the boil and then add the pasta – make a note of the timings as 5 minutes before the pasta is done you’ll need to add the meatballs to the pan to poach through.
4. Into the bowls you’re eating from place a handful of fresh spinach (the hot liquor of the soup will cook the spinach through and keep its colour).
5. When the dumplings are ready – a clue is that they’ll float to the top of the pan, it should take just 5 minutes on a high heat – take the pan off the heat and ladle the soup and meatballs over the bowls with spinach.
6. Give a glug of your favourite extra virgin olive oil and eat.

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