AUTHENTIC  ITALIAN  RECIPES

 FROM

 RISTORANTE  d'ANNAMARIA

Minestra di bietole e polpettine (Soup of Swiss chard and little meatballs)

Ingredients

Swiss chard                                       2 pounds

Ground beef                                      9 ounces

Eggs                                                 1 large

Broth        (chicken + beef)               1 quart

Stale Italian bread                             1 ¾ ounces

Parmesan                                          as needed

Salt and black pepper                        to taste

How To Do It

Wash and boil the chard and drain it when tender saving the cooking water.  Conserve  the cooking water and put it aside. Cut the chard into bite-sized pieces.

Prepare the meatballs by putting the ground beef, egg, a well-rounded tablespoon of parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and the Italian bread that has been soaked in tepid water and then squeezed dry by hand and crumbled.

Mix well and form small meatballs from the meatball mix.

Emerge them raw, one at a time into the boiling broth and let them simmer over a low flame for 5 minutes.

Add the Swiss chard pieces along with a little bit of their cooking water that you put aside earlier and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.

Let the soup cool for ten minutes before sprinkling abundantly with parmesan cheese  and serving  with a slice of toasted Italian bread.