Homemade Escarole Soup (ZUPPA DI SCAROLA)

Adding a hearty soup to your diet is quite filling, has plenty of nutrients from the meat and vegetables and is only about 100 calories per cup/serving. Although low calorie canned soups are quick and easy to make, their salt content is still high (about 400-800 mg of sodium) per serving compared to homemade soups where you add salt to taste.

To help me with my diet, my wife makes a batch (8 qt. pot) of homemade escarole soup about once every two weeks which we then store in the freezer in serving size plastic containers. You can then take them out of the freezer as needed and heat them in the microwave for about 15 minutes before serving.

Escarole soup (Italian Wedding Soup or Zuppa Di Scarola) has a variety of names and recipes. Although escarole is the main ingredient, you can substitute with spinach and add other vegetables like beans, lentils, carrots, onions, and celery. Also, after adding chicken (whole or pieces) as the main meat you can add tiny meatballs (beef or veal), sausage, prosciutto, sopresssato or pepperoni.

My wife learned how to make her escarole soup from my Italian mother which was passed along from her family. I’m sure that with the availability and source of foods (open market, corner store, or super market), the recipe has changed a little over the years. My mother would sometimes shop in the North End of Boston at the open market and later at the corner grocery. Quite often (in the 1940-50s) she would also buy her vegetables from the street vendor who circulated the neighborhood in horse and wagon with all his fresh produce.

You can see the recipe below and some photos of how my wife makes her soup at the link …. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/EscaroleSoup21809

You can also see some other online recipes and a variety of names for escarole soup at the link ……. http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,italian_escarole_soup,FF.html

Recipe (Escarole Soup)
Ingredients : 1 pound ground beef , 4 slices wet Italian bread, 3 chicken quarters, 4 eggs, 1 cup barley, 4 tablespoons grated Romano cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon gravy master, 1 tomato, 2 cups chopped celery and carrots, 1 large onion, 2 heads escarole (wash thoroughly) and chopped.

Preparation: 1. Mix the ground beef by hand with 2 eggs, 2 tbsp Romano cheese, pepper, salt, garlic, parsley, small shredded pieces wet bread (squeeze out extra water). Make tiny, marble size meatballs and put in refrigerator till needed.

2. Mix a slurry with 2 eggs and 2 tbsp grated Romano cheese in a glass and store in refrigerator till needed.


3. Fill an 8 qt. pot to about ¾ with water and start heating on stove. Add chicken and vegetables (onion, celery, carrots). Add seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, parsley and gravy master). Add barley and bring to boil. Stir frequently to mix the barley. Simmer for about 2 hours. Add the washed escarole, the meatballs and the glass of egg slurry. Simmer for another hour. Let cool and scoop into serving size plastic bowls. Store in freezer .

Comments welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net