Italian Wedding Soup - Vegan Style
Here's a vegetarian version of Italian Wedding Soup -- traditionally a chicken broth with meatballs, pasta and greens. In this version, "meat" balls are made with ground walnuts, breadcrumbs, onion and parsley bound together with beaten egg.
Serves: 10-12
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups shelled English walnuts
1 small yellow onion
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt, pepper as desired
12 cups vegetable broth or stock
1 1/2 cups ditalini, orzo or other similar-sized dried pasta
5 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped
Set a large pot of salted water to boil for poaching the "meat"balls. Beat eggs until light yellow and fluffy.
In a food processor, grind together walnuts, onion and parsley until they reach the consistency of a paste. (The entire mixture will clump together.) Stir walnut mixture and breadcrumbs into the eggs until thoroughly blended. Season with salt and pepper.
When water boils, turn down to a simmer. Form the walnut and egg mixture into small balls (1/2 inch - 1 inch in diameter) and gently drop into simmering water. Poach the walnut balls for 15 minutes and then fish them out of the water with a strainer or skimmer and set aside while you prepare the soup.
Bring vegetable stock to a boil. Add pasta and reduce heat to a steady simmer. Cook pasta until al dente. Add chopped spinach and walnut balls and simmer two minutes more.
Serve.
B-man
