Serving size: Serves 6
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Entree, Lunch
Favourite flavours: Chicken, Soup

Australian House & Garden recipe for Italian wedding soup with chicken meatballs.

INGREDIENTS

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
14 cups (3.5L) cold water
1 head curly endive, about 600g, or other green, such as silverbeet or chicory, cut into 1cm ribbons
1 small fennel bulb, halved, and cut into ½cm thick slices
250g zucchini, cut into 1cm pieces
3 teaspoons salt

Soffrito
1 stalk celery with leaves, cut into chunks
½ small carrot, peeled, cut into chunks
½ medium onion, cut into chunks
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
Handful fresh basil leavesChicken meatballs
60g rustic white bread, about ¼ ciabatta without crusts (weighed after removing crusts), torn into pieces
Enough milk to just cover bread
250g chicken sausages, meat removed from casings
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Crusty bread rolls, to serve
Pecorino cheese shavings, to serve

METHOD

1 To make soffrito, whiz all ingredients in a processor until finely chopped.

2 Heat oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat, add soffrito and cook until dry, about 5mins. Stir in water, cover, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15mins. Stir in curly endive, fennel, zucchini and salt. Cover and simmer for 1hr.

3 Meanwhile, make meatballs. Place bread in a bowl and cover with milk to soak for a few minutes. Squeeze out moisture, shred and place in a bowl. Add sausage meat, egg and parsley, and season. Mix well, then shape with wet hands into small balls and set aside. Refrigerate for 30mins. Heat oil over moderate heat in a large frypan, add meatballs and cook until golden.

4 Add meatballs to simmering soup and cook gently, uncovered, a further 5mins. Serve with crusty rolls, pecorino and extra oil, to drizzle.