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Saveur's Escarole Soup

As I look back over the holidays, I am a bit disappointed in myself. We made some incredible dishes from potato gnocchi to fig stuffed pork loin and Parker House rolls. In all the craziness of the moment, normally entertaining, I never got to take pictures of many of our creations. I am going back through some of my pictures and piecing together some of the recipes. I told Jeff that we may have to make some of these meals again, which will be fun because they were delicious.

After feeling like we had been eating non-stop, Jeff decided to put together something a little lighter. We decided that Christmas Day would be perfect since we tend to be alone or have fewer people expecting to be fed. He found this recipe in Saveur's Italian Christmas Magazine 2011. This December version has some amazing traditional Italian recipes which are served around the holiday. We actually have two more recipes marked off to try and make this month.

This escarole soup, which is sometimes known as Wedding Soup, was really easy to make as it works up in three parts: 1. making the meatballs 2. creating the broth and 3. cooking some white rice. If you don't have time to put the entire dish together, you can make the meatballs with the broth. It can be saved and when you are ready to serve it just cook some rice.

This soup was delicious and a welcome meal for a lighter fare after the holidays. The meatballs were perfectly cooked, firm yet you could break them with a spoon. The rice and escarole balanced the remainder of the soup. For me, it was a great comfort dish after a long (over -indulging) holiday season.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 lb. of ground beef
1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of grated pecorino cheese
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, minced
1 small bunch of parsley, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten

Soup Base
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 large heads escarole, cored and cut into 2″ pieces
8 cups chicken stock
kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

4 cups of cooked white rice, for serving

Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Preparation:

1. For meatballs: Mix beef, bread crumbs, parmesan, pecorino, olive oil, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and onion, chopped parsley, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl (between 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of each). Form into 30, 1-1/2″ meatballs; chill.

2. For soup base: Heat remaining oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic and onions; cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add escarole; cook until wilted, about 6 minutes. Add stock; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.

3. Add meatballs; cook until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice; top with more parmesan and black pepper.

This escarole soup serves 6-8 people.

Southwestern Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

 

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey. How many dishes of turkey did you eat over the past week?

We enjoyed a non-traditional Thanksgiving and ate at Latitude 41 in Mystic, CT. Jeff's daughter is a nurse and was scheduled to work on Thanksgiving. We drove down to CT to enjoy a quick lunch with her and didn't cook our turkey until last Sunday. We went with a small 14 pound turkey, compared to our normal 26 pound bird, and enjoyed a mini Thanksgiving. It was missing some of our favorites but it had the good old-fashioned staples - garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, corn bread stuffing, cranberry sauce and an awesome turkey gravy.

Once we had all the turkey removed, we put the remainder into a large dutch oven, cooked down the bones and made a delicious broth, that yield about 6 cups of turkey, too. I knew I would make a turkey soup as a second meal along with turkey tetrazzini with the leftover turkey from our Sunday dinner. As I said...turkey, turkey, turkey.

I was getting ready to make the soup and turkey with wild rice was my first thought. But, we had just finished a homemade chicken and rice soup last week and I thought any type of soup with rice might be repetitious.

SIDE TRACKED THOUGHT- I promise to showcase the chicken and rice soup the next time I make it. It was made and consumed so quickly, I never got to take pictures or blog about it.

I started looking up some southwestern versions of turkey soup. Progresso makes a southwestern soup with corn, beans, tomatoes and spices. I found this Southwestern Turkey Soup through Taste of Home and began grabbing ingredients from my pantry. Some black beans, diced tomatoes, chilies and corn...I was ready to go.

The best part of any soup is a homemade broth. I cooked the turkey bones with garlic, onions, carrots and celery. I strain my broth with a fine sieve so the broth is clear then I use some of the cooked carrots and celery to add color and flavor to the soup. 

Having the turkey and broth ready to go made this soup easy to put together. Within 10 minutes I had almost everything in the pan. With some increased heat and the cooking of the wild rice, start to finish was about 45 minutes. 

Results: DELICIOUS! First, I loved that we were able to use the turkey (for a third night) in a way that you didn't feel like you were eating another turkey meal. The soup had lots of flavor, some heat and a heartiness that made the soup a meal. I love any combination of tomatoes, corn, beans, cumin and chili pepper - part chili, part soup. Our family devoured half of the soup and I was able to take leftovers to friends and co-workers. So far, everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. (And all the containers have been returned empty.)

Tomorrow is game day, the cold weather is finally setting in (at least in New England), this is a great "end of the weekend" soup that will clean-up the last of those turkey leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 medium onion, chopped

3 tablespoons of olive oil

8 cups of turkey broth (we used the broth from cooking down the turkey, use can use chicken broth, also)

4 teaspoons of ground cumin

1-1/2 teaspoons of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

6 cups of cubed cooked turkey

2 can (15 ounces) of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 ounces) of fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice

1 can (4.25 ounces) of diced green chilies

1 (16 ounce) bag of frozen corn (we used a yellow and white corn combination)

1 cup of wild rice

tortilla chips and sour cream, optional

Preparation:

1. Over medium heat, place oil and onions in a large dutch oven and saute until tender and translucent. (about 5-7 minutes)

2. Add the broth along with the cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt.

3. Once blended add the turkey, black beans, tomatoes, green chilies and corn.

4. Bring to a boil, and add the rice. Allow to simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

5. Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Serves 10-12 people.

Adapted from Taste of Home - Southwestern Turkey Soup

Harvest Corn Soup with Lobster, Bacon and Scallions

Summer is officially over when you buy the last fresh ears of corn. As we drove to Flint Farm, we were told that this was the last day for corn. We arrived just in time. I kept telling Jeff that I wanted to make some type of corn soup or chowder since it would be perfect for a cool autumn evening.

While we were in Maine, last month taking cooking lessons, we made a delicious corn soup with lobster. It was a completely blended soup and I was looking for something that had more corn left in the broth. The only true test of corn chowder I have is my mother adding a can of milk to a can of creamed corn and calling that corn chowder. Not a great reference point.

I found this recipe from Epicurious called Summer Corn Soup and it was written by Dorie Greenspan. When I went into her "Around My French Table" Cookbook, I realized it was one of her recipes. Just a quick plug, if you want to buy a great gift for your favorite cook, definitely consider this cookbook. Jeff and I love the book and it has amazing recipes. We took the original version and adapted it.

As we were putting the recipe together we realized that we would need to double the recipe. At our house, a recipe serving 4 will not cut it. As we shucked the corn, there definitely wasn't enough corn (for my liking) so we added more. Once we got all the vegetables cooked and added the herbs, we found the herbs fell off the sprigs as the mixture came to a boil. The flavor was great but I didn't enjoy fishing all the rosemary out of the soup. Our recommendation is to place it in cheese cloth. Easier and less messy to remove.

Lastly, when it called for you to blend and strain the soup, we decided to only blend 1/2 of the soup and not strain any portion of it. It allowed the base to thicken and left a filling in the soup. We steamed two lobster ahead of time and had lobster meat ready to go. Lobster first, soup second, bacon and scallions to garnish. Grab spoon and and say Ahhhhh.

The soup a.k.a. corn chowder was amazing. It was so fresh and the flavor was distinct with every bite. The lobster was moist and the bacon give a slight smokiness to the dish. It was perfect for a cool night in October.

As we enjoyed the corn soup for lunch, I was disappointed that I might not be able to make this soup again until next year. You need the freshness of the corn kernels and the cobs to add that additional flavor. I did say to Jeff that I will attempt this soup again with some frozen ingredient. Not sure I will get the same freshness, but I might be able to re-create the memory in the winter. It might be a faint memory but I will try!

Ingredients:

3 cups whole milk
4 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from cobs, cobs broken in half and reserved
3 tablespoons of butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 cups water
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf
Salt and white pepper to taste

Optional:
cooked lobster meat from 1 1/2 pound lobster, coarsely chopped

Garnish:
2 thick bacon slices, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Preparation:

1. Bring milk and corncob halves (not kernels) just to boil in heavy medium pot. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep while sautéing vegetables.
 
2. Melt butter in dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add corn kernels, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Place herbs and bay leaf in cheese cloth or herb bag. Add 2 cups water, herbs, and milk with corncobs.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover with lid and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.

4. Remove corncobs, herb sprigs, and bay leaf. Cool soup slightly. Working in batches, puree 1/2 of the soup mixture in a blender or food processor. This will give a thicker consistency while leaving filling within the broth. Add salt and white pepper to taste.

5. If using lobster, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of chopped lobster to the bottom of each serving bowl, spoon the soup over the lobster, garnish with chopped bacon and scallions. Enjoy!

Makes 4-6 servings.

Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Bean Soup)

 

After coming home from a week of being away and eating at some great restaurants, in both Richmond, VA and Washington, DC, it was time for a big bowl of comfort food...pasta e fagioli.

As we were making it on Monday afternoon, I was laughing with Jeff about this dish being one we make quite often yet we hadn't blogged about it. Sometimes we cook so much we lose track of which dishes we have highlighted and which have been put aside.

We found this recipe 3 to 4 years ago in Giada DeLaurentiis cookbook, Giada's Family Dinners. This Pasta e Fagioli instantly became a family favorite. It's one of those meals that takes 15-20 minutes to put together and within 30 minutes you have a delicious (and nutritious) meal. We love eating it with a crusty sourdough bread. Nothing better than sopping up the last of the soup with a great piece of bread.

We have made a few adjustments to the recipe, adding more pancetta, mixing up the beans, and changing the pasta. Here are a few hints when making this pasta e fagioli soup...

1. Keep a package of pancetta in your refrigerator. It's easy to make some great recipes when it's readily available.

2. When blending the two cups of bean mixture, make sure you have mostly beans. Once you add the mixture back into the soup, taste to see if it is flavorful. If it tastes watery, blend another 1/2 cup of beans and add to the soup.

3. We used ditalini pasta but you can use elbow macaroni which is what the recipe originally called for.

4. Use fresh herbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, it truly does make a difference.

Now, create a favorite for you family! 

Ingredients:

4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 large sprig of fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of chopped onion
4 ounces of pancetta, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 (15.5-ounce) can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can of small red beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup of ditalini pasta
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the herbs. Puree 2 cups of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth*. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the pasta and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8-10 minutes. Return the puree to the soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper.

Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

 

Giada's Pasta e Ceci Soup (Chick Pea Soup)

 

Earlier this year, when the weather was a bit cooler, I came across a recipe for Pasta e Ceci Soup. In August, on probably one of the hottest days of the year, I decided to make the chick pea soup again. My family is still trying to figure out why I made the soup that night as we sweat through dinner. I guess I was craving chick peas! But, for the life of me, I could not find that recipe. I searched in all the cookbooks but came up empty.

I finally came across the recipe on Serious Eats, posted by Kristen Swenson of Cheap, Healthy, Good. I was so excited. It was such a great soup and I wanted to keep the recipe in a place where I could find it. As she had mentioned it was in Giada DeLaurentiis' Everyday Pasta Cookbook.

The ingredients are common staples and the recipe is very similar to another soup Giada makes called Pasta e Fagioli. Like Kristen, I enjoy a pasta-style soup with pancetta. It gives the soup a wonderful flavor. I also like the way you thicken the soup by pureeing the chickpeas. It makes a hearty soup that can be complemented with a loaf of crusty bread.

Cooking is so easy when the ingredients are staples, the time and preparation is about 30 minutes and there are hungry people waiting to try something new.

Ingredients - serves 4 to 6

4 fresh thyme sprigs

1 large fresh rosemary spring

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)

3 ounces pancetta, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 (14.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice

3/4 cup ditalini or other small, tubular pasta

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preparation

Wrap the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine to make a sachet.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta and garlic and sauté until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes and herb sachet. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Discard the sachet. Transfer 1 cup of the bean mixture to a blender and reserve.

Add the ditalini to the soup pot, cover, and bring the liquid back to a boil. Boil gently until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Puree the reserved bean mixture until smooth, then stir the puree into the boiling soup. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls.

Sprinkle each serving with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Chicken Soup with Couscous and Craisins

  
We were making dinner the other night when my son was looking for something quick because he was heading to the movies. Knowing that dinner wasn't going to be ready for another hour, I looked in the pantry and found some CousCous Grande and then headed to the refrigerator. There was a container of chicken left from Giada's Garlic and Citrus Chicken (which I'll blog about this weekend); I should probably do something with that before we throw it out.

I grabbed some carrots, celery, a shallot, garlic and presto...chicken soup.

But, I was thinking, whenever we make CousCous Grande, I make it with craisins. What if I put them in the soup? So, I chopped a quarter cup of craisins and put them into the soup. For all of you who are making faces, if you like cranberry sauce on your chicken or turkey, I bet you'll like craisins in your chicken soup. Look at the recipe for Danielle's Chicken Salad, we mixed chicken with craisins.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped,

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

2 cups of cooked chicken, chopped

2 cups of CousCous Grande (Marrakesh Express)

6 cups of chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves

1/4 cup of craisins (chopped)

Preparation:

Heat a large sauce pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the garlic, carrots, celery and shallot. Cook about 5 minutes until the vegetables slightly softened. Add the chicken and couscous. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the couscous is slightly browned. Add 4 1/2 cups of the chicken broth, thyme and chopped craisins. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer until all the broth has been absorbed and the pasta is soft to the bite.

Remove from heat, place couscous mixture in a bowl and pour 1/3 cup of chicken broth on top. This can be served as a one dish pasta meal or soup. I took the mixture for lunch the following day, without the broth.

So, if you like what you see, try it, if not, send me your favorite chicken recipe and I'll feature yours!

Now, enjoy your chicken soup!

Gourmet's Winter Minestrone

We are one-dish dinner people. If you can combine everything into one bowl and call it a meal, we are very happy. A few weeks ago we found this recipe for a Winter Minestrone in a 2009 copy of Gourmet Magazine. It looked hearty and had quite a few vegetables in the mix. We picked up all the ingredients, arrived home and started chopping. The combination of ingredients cooking made the house smell delightful.

The soup, at one point, seemed a little bland. We decided to add 3 chicken bouillon cubes and it brought the soup together. The next time we make it we will probably substitute chicken broth for 1/2 of the water. We put the ditalini pasta in ours because we like the traditional minestrone with vegetables, beans and pasta. Putting a piece of parmigiano-reggiano into the stock while it cooked was something we had never done before. I had a few pieces floating in my bowl when we were serving and it really rounded out the flavor of the soup. We finished the minestrone with grilled provolone cheese paninis. The soup was delicious and filling. It was a wonderful meal on a cold winter night.

Ingredients

• 1/3 pound sliced pancetta, chopped
• 3 medium red onions, chopped
• 4 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch Swiss chard
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
• 3 quart hot water
• 5 cups coarsely chopped cored Savoy cabbage (6 ounces)
• 5 cups coarsely chopped escarole (1/2 pound)
• 1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (about 3 by 1 1/2 inches)
• 1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• Accompaniments: extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling; cooked ditalini pasta tossed with oil (optional); grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation

Cook pancetta, onions, celery, and carrots in oil in a wide 7-to 9-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, while preparing chard.

Cut out stems from chard and chop stems, reserving leaves. Stir chard stems into pancetta mixture with garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and begin to stick to bottom of pot, about 45 minutes total. (Set aside chard leaves.)

Push vegetables to one side of pot. Add tomato paste to cleared area and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Stir paste into vegetables and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. (Paste may stick to pot, but don’t let it burn.)

Stir in tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up with a spoon, then add hot water (3 quarts), scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot.

Bring to a simmer. Stir in cabbage, escarole, and parmesan rind. Simmer, covered, until greens are tender, about 40 minutes.

Coarsely chop chard leaves and stir into soup along with beans. Simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes. Discard rind. Season soup with salt and pepper. If using ditalini, stir in just before serving.

 

 

Onion Soup with Pecorino - Zuppa Di Cipolle al Pecorino

 
 
I always thought that making French onion soup would be difficult. Whenever I have ordered a bowl at a restaurant, the rich flavor and softened onion seemed difficult to recreate. Last month, we purchased a Le Creuset casserole pan (a shallow Dutch Oven) along with a book called The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy by Domenica Marchetti. We found Zuppa Di Cipolle al Pecorino basically Onion Soup with Pecorino Cheese. To date we have made three delicious recipes and I can't wait to make more. The soup took us an hour and a half, mostly because the onions cook slowly and must turn golden and velvety soft. The onion soup was amazing. The broth was rich and the onions were cooked perfectly. It was just what we needed after a big Christmas Eve meal the night before. It was warm, flavorful and hearty enough to be served as a meal. If you like onion soup, try this recipe. You'll never order it out again!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

3 pounds of yellow onions or a mix of yellow and red, halved and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram

1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

1/4 cup dry Marsala

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 cups of low-sodium beef broth, heated to a simmer

8 Crostini al Pepe

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese for serving

In a Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted and begins to sizzle, add the onions and stir to coat well. Sprinkle in the marjoram and salt, reduce the heat to low and let the onions cook, uncovered, stirring from time to time, for 45 minutes, or until they are golden and velvety soft.

Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the Marsala. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, or until some of the wine has evaporated. In a small bowl, mix together the tomato paste with a 1/4 cup of the broth. Add the diluted tomato paste to the soup and stir. Pour in the rest of the broth. Reduce the heat to low once again and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt. Place 2 Crostini into each of 4 shallow bowls. Ladle the soup over the bread and sprinkle each serving with a tablespoon or two of cheese.

My cheat sheet on the soup:

1. We used both red and yellow onions in our soup mix.

2. We didn't have marjoram and used 3/4 of a teaspoon of oregano as a substitute.

3. For the Crostini, we cut french bread into slices and sprinkled them lightly with olive oil. I baked them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Zuppa di fagiolini e polpettine (Green bean and meatball soup)

Two weeks ago, Ike DeLorenzo of the Boston Globe ran some great soup recipes in their Wednesday FOOD section. One that seemed very interesting was Zuppa di fagiolini e polpettine (Green bean and meatball ‘soup’). As it gets cold, we love to make hearty soups that work as a meal. So with Jeff as chef, we began chopping and mixing and putting together this layered soup. In the end, we had a delicious soup that fed quite a few people...our family (4), my parents, Jeff’s parents and my cohorts at the United Regional Chamber. If you have a large crew to feed or guests for a Sunday football game, grab the largest pot you have and start chopping!
In this unusual method, the potatoes are simmered in the chicken stock, then green beans and meatballs are cooked without stirring, so the meatballs and potatoes stay intact.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 pounds mixed ground beef, pork, and veal
1 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 bunch parsley, stemmed and finely chopped
2 eggs
3 cans (28 ounces each) Italian peeled tomatoes, crushed with your hands
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 pounds small red potatoes, skin on, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 pounds green beans, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1. In a soup pot, heat the oil and cook the onion, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until it begins to brown.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, and veal with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and eggs. With clean hands, work the mixture well. Shape it into meatballs about 1-inch wide; set aside.
3. To the onions, add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir well. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Add salt and red pepper. Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.
4. Add the green beans in a layer on top of the potatoes. Do not stir. Add the meatballs in a layer on top of the green beans. The layering is important: it keeps the potatoes and meatballs whole, and keeps the meatballs at the top. Do not stir the pot at all until the dish is served. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are solid and cooked through.
5. With the back of a ladle, gently press the meatballs into the liquid so they’re just submerged. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour without stirring. Some potatoes may stick to the bottom of the pan - and scorch. If you’re lucky you’ll get one of the charred red potatoes in your dish.