Recipe: Mamma Pagliano's My-Daughter-is-Never Going-to-Get-Married Italian Wedding Soup

MAMMA PAGLIANO'S "MY-DAUGHTER-IS-NEVER GOING-TO-GET-MARRIED" ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

FOR THE TINY MEATBALLS:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs, sprinkled with hope
1 egg, from a fertile chicken
1 tablespoon parsley
Salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
FOR THE SOUP:
4 cups chicken broth, made by a married mother who cares
2 cups spinach leaves, ripped into pieces like your no-grandchildren-yet heart
1/4 grated Romano cheese

Combine the ground meats, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix with love, all the while begging the Lord to bring a man into your daughter's life, and soon.

Form into tiny meatballs and place on a lightly greased or foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Bless the stove with the sign of the cross, then bring the broth to a boil and add the spinach. Cover and boil for 5 minutes, muttering a prayer for a happy marriage with enough steam to bring lots of grandchildren into the world.

Add the cooked meatballs, dropping each one in with a whispered mantra for upcoming nuptials. Stir in the cheese and serve to a good Italian boy who has marriage on his mind.

Makes 6 to 8 servings
Adapted from source: The Devil Served Tortellini by Shirley Jump