Chef notes
My grandmother would often make this soup for me. Sometimes she just did it with whisked eggs and sometimes she added spinach. We had plenty of chickens running around, and egg was the perfect source of protein. I loved feeding the chickens and it was my duty every morning to go and collect the eggs from the chicken coop, sometimes they were still warm.
This recipe turns simple stock into a meal. I always have a few individual quarts and pints of chicken stock in my freezer. My grandkids love soup whenever they come over, so I add to it rice, pastina, tortellini or whatever I have on hand.
Use the bones and vegetables from my Lemon Roasted Chicken in this recipe.
Ingredients
- bones and vegetables from roasted chicken (recipe linked above)
- 1 large onion (about 1/2 pound), cut in half
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 2 stalks celery, cut crosswise into four pieces
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- salt
- 1-2 reserved rinds of grating cheese, such as Grana Padano
- 4 cups chicken stock (recipe above)
- 2 large eggs
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups spinach leaves, chopped
- freshly grated Grana Padano, for serving
Preparation
For the chicken stock:
1.To the stock pot with chicken bones, vegetables and cheese rind(s), add 5 quarts of water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2.Adjust the level of heat to medium and continue boiling for 1 hour.
3.Skim off the surface foam and fat occasionally. Lower the heat and continue to cook for 30 minutes, partially covered. Add salt to taste.
4.Remove the carrots and reserve for future use.
5.Strain the broth through a colander lined with a dampened kitchen towel or cheesecloth.
6.If you want to use the stock immediately, you can remove much of the liquid fat floating on the surface by lightly dragging a folded paper towel over the surface. It will be easier to degrease the stock if you have time to chill it completely in the refrigerator. The fat will then rise to the surface and solidify and can be easily lifted off.
For the stracciatella:
1.In a soup pot, bring your chicken stock to a simmer.
2.Beat the eggs in a spouted measuring cup with a pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper.
3.Still whisking, slowly pour the egg mixture into the simmering stock, mixing it as you pour.
4.When the soup returns to a simmer, add spinach and mix. Return to a simmer to wilt the spinach, about 2 minutes.
4.Serve with grated cheese. If you have any chicken meat left over from the roasted chicken, you can shred and add to the stracciatella.
