Escarole Stracciatella Soup

Italian Egg Drop Soup with Escarole

I grew up on a block in Brooklyn that was made up of mostly Italian families. It was a wonderful community. All the grown-ups were friends and all of us kids were friends, too. That meant lots of dinners in each other’s homes. Everyone’s Nona made this soup and I was always happy to have it served to me. It was kind of like Chinese take-out egg drop soup, only better. This is serious comfort food, and super healthful, too. You’ve got a rich broth, either made with chicken or vegetable stock, egg for protein, and lots of greens.

It also takes almost no time to cook if your stock is at hand.

What could be bad?

For best results, use a good quality, flavorful stock, homemade or otherwise.

 Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 8 cups good stock, chicken or vegetable

• 2 teaspoons fruity olive oil

• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped

• 4 cups escarole, torn or coarsely chopped

• 4 large eggs from free roaming chickens*

• Salt as needed (depending upon the saltiness of your stock)

• A few grinds of pepper

• A generous grating of fresh nutmeg**

• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano for serving (traditional)

*I’m very much against adding to or condoning the torture of animals. I also strongly believe that the happiness or misery of the chicken is absorbed into the egg, which in turn affects the one who eats the egg. Ethical eggs also taste better.

**You can use ground nutmeg in a jar, but once you experiment with grating a whole nutmeg, you will never go back. There’s a world of difference in the flavor, and it takes just a few seconds with a microplane.

Method:

• Warm the oil. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes, but don’t let the garlic brown. Add the stock and the escarole and simmer the pot for about 10 minutes, until the escarole is tender.

• While the soup is simmering, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk until they’re beaten and frothy.

• Stir the soup firmly to create a vortex and pour the eggs slowly into the center, stirring all the while. The eggs will cook instantly into delicate ribbons.

• Add a generous grating of nutmeg and a few grinds of the pepper mill, taste for salt and adjust as needed.

• Remove the soup from the heat. Ladle it into bowls and top each one with freshly grated cheese if using.