Home of Nonni's Kitchen
Italian Wedding Soup (Minestra Maritata)
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1 pound broccoli rabe
3/4 pound broccoli florets
2 pounds chicory or escarole
1 pound green cabbage
1 pound torzelle or other broccoli or collard greens
Thyme or basil, to taste
A prosciutto bone with some meat
1/2 pound prosciutto rind, or 1/4 pound
fresh side pork (do not substitute pork rinds or
bacon)
1/2 pound Italian salami, any variety
3/4 pound pork loin
3 mild Italian
sausages
1/3 pound cured lard, diced
1/4 pound well-seasoned caciocavallo (a Southern cheese)
1/4 pound Parmigiano, grated (you may substitute pecorino romano)
A bouquet garnis consisting of a rib of celery, a peeled carrot and several
sprigs of parsley, tied with a string
Half a red pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash the meat and put it in a pot with the herbs. Cover the meat to a depth of about 2 inches with water and set the pot on the stove; simmer for about two and a half hours. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and pick it apart (if the meat on the prosciutto bone is still tough boil it some more). Transfer the pulled meat to another pot, and add to it a ladle or two of broth; check seasoning, adding more salt if necessary, cover the pot and set it aside. Let the broth in the stock pot cool and skim the fat that rises to the surface. Then return the pot to the fire. In the meantime, wash the greens well, coarsely shred them, and blanch them in a little bit of lightly salted water (dump them into the pot, cover it, wait for the water to return to a boil, and drain the vegetables into a colander). Squeeze out as much water as you can (it will be quite bitter because of the broccoli rabe).
Crumble the caciocavallo. Stir it into the stock, together with the drained vegetables and the hot pepper. Simmer for about a half hour, and check seasoning, adding salt if necessary. Reheat the pulled meat; you can either stir it into the soup in the kitchen, or serve it in a second bowl, allowing your diners to add as much as they want to their soup bowls. Serve the grated Parmigiano on the side.