When I got engaged I received the most thoughtful gift from my sister - a cookbook with a collection of recipes from our closest family and friends. My husband and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen together, so this was the perfect gift!
My family is Polish and my husband's Italian, so there are a ton of dishes from both cultures, however there are also many that are not related to any of our cultures, but equally as delicious! So if you're looking for some good ol' homemade food, that is uncomplicated to make [I'm no chef, so if it's not easy, I'm not making it LOL], keep reading and checking back for more!
I will do my best to share a recipe each week. I will also try the recipe myself before posting it to make sure nothing was missed, and it's actually not too complicated! If I make any substitutions I will jot them down as well, however for the most part I will rewrite the recipe exactly as I received it.
Let's kick things off with Zia Antonietta's Brodo, which is essentially an Italian version of chicken soup - perfect for these cold winter days!
As promised, I tried the recipe myself and it turned out great! It was easy to make, and a whole pot lasted us [a household of 5] a full weekend. My only mistake was that I made the meatballs and frittata [omelet] pieces slightly larger than they should be [I was being lazy!]. It didn't effect the flavour, but traditionally they should be much smaller.
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ZIA ANTONIETTA'S BRODO
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Broth
- 1 medium chicken
- 2 large carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 medium onion
- 1 small tomato
- 5 litres of water
- salt to taste
Baby Meatballs
- 1 pound ground veal [I used turkey]
- 2 tablespoons of Romano cheese
- 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 small clove of garlic [minced]
- salt to taste
Frittata [Omelet]
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of Romano cheese
- 1 small clove of garlic [minced]
- 1 small branch of fresh Italian parsley
- black pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
Broth
1. Cut and prep all ingredients, and place everything together in a pot
2. Bring to a boil, slightly reduce heat, and leave to boil for 2 hours
3. As the pot boils, skim any dark foam that appears on the surface
Baby Meatballs [you can make these in advance and freeze them until needed]
1. Combine ingredients together in a bowl
2. Form into very small meatballs
3. Heat oil on frying pan and fry meatballs only until colour has changed
4. If necessary, drain excess oil in strainer
Frittata [Omelet]
1. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a medium sized frying pan, when hot add the mixture and form into an omelet
3. Let cool, and then cut into very small squares
Combine
1. When broth is ready, drain into another pot using a strainer
2. Separate the broth from the chicken and vegetables
3. Take one boiled carrot and dice it into small squares
4. Add the baby meatballs and frittata squares to the broth
5. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg and a teaspoon of cheese
6. Bring broth to fast boil
7. Pour the egg and cheese mixture into boiling soup, stirring slowly while pouring
Buon appetito!
