Stracciatella
Last week when I was sidelined by a bad head cold (low-grade fever, sore throat, massive headaches ~ you know what I mean) this soup saw me through. Composed of just three ingredients ~ broth, egg, cheese ~ stracciatella is one of the most comforting and nourishing dishes in all of Italian cooking.
It's a well-known soup, the Italian equivalent of Chinese egg drop or egg flower soup, named for the ragged stands ("stracce") that form when egg is added to simmering broth. My version is a little different in that I add spinach and cook the eggs so that they are less like rags and more like soft clouds.
Start with good ingredients (fresh eggs, homemade broth) and follow the technique. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
Don't skimp on the egg. I've seen recipes that call for just one egg for four cups of broth. This makes for a wan soup with shreds of egg that float forlornly around the bowl.
Beat the cheese into the eggs before adding to the soup. The cheese helps bind the egg and spinach into soft clumps.
To further enrich or thicken the soup, stir a tablespoon of semolina into the eggs along with the cheese. (This is optional, and I don't always do it.)
Avoid over-stirring the eggs as you add them to the broth. Vigorous stirring will make the broth cloudy and create stringy strands. Leave it be and the eggs and spinach will form fluffy clouds as the soup simmers.
STRACCIATELLA
Makes 1 to 2 servings
Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves or 1 cup frozen spinach (no need to defrost; see NOTE)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the spinach. Cover partially and cook at a gentle simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring once or twice.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the cheese. Whisk with a fork until well combined. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup, stirring slowly once or twice with the fork. Simmer, uncovered, for a couple of minutes without stirring, until the eggs are fluffy and set. Gently break up the eggs into soft clumps.
Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle a little Parmigiano on top.
NOTE: If using frozen spinach, look for "quick-frozen" spinach in bags, rather than blocks of spinach in boxes. This makes it easy to measure out as much as you need and return the rest to the freezer.