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Easy Recipes: Kathy Gunst's Stracciatella
If planning dinner has you stumped, don't worry — Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst has a fast-and-simple recipe for you. Here's her take on stracciatella, a Roman-style chicken and egg drop soup that uses just four basic ingredients. In case you missed it, here's last week's easy recipe, sautéed chicken with lemon, capers and olives. You can also find more of Kathy's recipes and segments from the show here.
How can a soup with just four basic ingredients be transformed into something so utterly satisfying?
This is a classic Roman soup; chicken stock is simmered with spinach and then whisked with eggs and grated Parmesan cheese. When the eggs and cheese are whisked into the hot stock, they look like "little rags," or "little shred," the definition of the Italian word stracciatella.
Because there are so few ingredients, it's really important to use the best quality chicken stock, garden-fresh spinach, fresh eggs and authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano you can find. Serve with crusty bread and green salad. Serves 6 to 8.
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium good quality canned or boxed stock
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 5 packed cups, baby spinach, or regular spinach, stemmed and cut into thin slices, washed and thoroughly dried
- Garnish: About 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a medium large pot heat the stock over high heat and bring to a boil. Season to taste.
- In a medium bowl whisk the eggs with salt and pepper. Whisk in the 1/2 cup grated cheese.
- Reduce the heat to moderate and add the spinach. As soon as the spinach leaves begin to wilt, gradually whisk in the egg/cheese mixture with a fork, until it resemble shreds. Reduce heat to low and cook about 2 minutes. Season to taste. Serve immediately with a dusting of grated Parmesan on top.
Recipe from the book SOUP SWAP by Kathy Gunst. Copyright © 2016 by Kathy Gunst. Republished with permission of Chronicle Books.