Recipe: Soup in a Bag (Minestra nel Sacchetto, Italian)

SOUP IN A BAG (MINESTRA NEL SACCHETTO)

"This soup is not just a conversation piece but also a very good, comforting, easy soup to make. The "bag" is actually cheesecloth in which a dough of flour, eggs, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese cooks. Once the dough is cooked, it is taken out of the cloth, diced, and returned to the broth. A well-made homemade meat broth is recommended here, but the soup is also good with a bouillon cube. As the dough cooks, it imparts a wonderful flavor to the broth."

5 cups homemade meat broth or 1 large beef bouillon cube dissolved in 5 cups water
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1arge eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more (optional) for serving
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Put the broth in a soup pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Melt the butter and pour it into a mixing bowl. Add the flour, eggs, cheese, and nutmeg. Work the mixture with your hands until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous dough.

Flatten the dough with your hands into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle and wrap it flat in a double layer of cheesecloth. Slip it into the boiling broth, lower the heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and lift out the dough, which will have become firm. When the dough is cool enough to handle, remove it from the cheesecloth and cut it into 1/4-inch cubes.

When you are ready to serve, bring the broth back to a boil and put in the cubes of dough. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve with some additional Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings
Source: Every Night Italian by Giuliano Hazan