The Description :
This is has an elegant look to it.The vegetables are cut in slender match-stick pieces, julienne fashion, and the tiny meatballs add substance and flavor.
The Recipe:
Combine one egg (slightly beaten), one tablespoon of milk, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 cup of soft bread crumbs. Let stand 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup grated
parmesan cheese and 1/2 pound of ground beef and mix well. Shape into tiny meatballs (polpetti) the size of radishes. In a stock pot, heat 4 cups of beef broth. Cut one turnip, 3 carrots, 6 spring onions, 2 stalks of celery, and 3 medium red beets into julienne pieces (the size of matchsticks) . Add these to the broth along with one bunch of finely chopped parsely. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the meatballs and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve with 4 - 5 meatballs in each bowl.
The Review : The modified panel of judges went into the test kitchen and came back with this report: The Granny - enjoyed the soup and requested a second serving, but without the meatballs.
The Teen Queen - did not want to participate, but did it to please her grandmother. She tried a little bit of everything, rejected the meat ball, and seemed to prefer the thin vegetables to the broth.
The Cook - It was fun to make the julienne pieces. It required a bigger effort to keep the meatballs down to a small size, but when they went into the soup, it was worth the effort. There was something not quite right about the combination used in this soup - it was either too much or not enough. It would have been much more elegant without the meatballs. If you do make it with the meatballs, I would also add 1/2 cup of cooked pasta of a small size (ditellini, small shells, tubetini). Would I make it again? Yes, but probably without the meatballs.
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