Italian Wedding Soup

I never heard of Wedding Soup until I moved to Ohio. When I first heard of it I thought what a crazy name for a soup and how in the world did it get named Wedding Soup? I did some “googling” and came up this:

“Italian wedding soup got its name from the Italian phrase si sposono bene, meaning that two things are well married. The marriage of the greens and meat in clear broth is such a delightful combination that it was widely described as si sposono bene, hence the English name “Italian wedding soup.”

Marriage got me thinking about my parent’s marriage and how they are “well married” for each other. My parents have been married for over 60 years – what a wonderful tribute to the “institution” of marriage they are. They have loved each other through the years truly embracing the old vows of to have and to hold through sickness and in health, for better or worse, richer or poorer … In my early years of growing up I have happy memories of them teasing each other and laughing – there was always laughter in our home and if they ever disagreed we never knew it. They treated each other with kindness, respect, thoughtfulness and love – everything a marriage should be. And now in their later years they have seen each other through it all and their love remains, strong and grounded. A marriage such as theirs is something to cherish and is the true meaning of two people who are si sposono bene “well married”.

Wedding Soup is love at first sip and this is one soup not to pass up. Enjoy!

Ingredients

8 cups homemade chicken broth
3/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
2 – 3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 eggs
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 cups grated Parmesan, plus 1 cup
2 medium heads escarole, cleaned and chopped

In a separate pot over medium heat, bring the broth to a boil. In a separate large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, chopped garlic, 2 eggs, bread crumbs, basil, parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Mix well and form into bite-size balls. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree approximately 30 minutes. Drain on paper towels to absorb extra fat. Drop the balls into the broth. Add escarole into broth. When escarole is wilted it is done. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 1 egg with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Pour this mixture into the soup, stirring continuously, until the egg is cooked. I also add cooked chicken pieces to the soup.