La Stracciatella alla Romana: Italian Egg Drop Soup

Stracciatella, from stracciato, Italian for torn apart, is an Italian egg drop soup at once both similar to the Chinese soup (and its Americanized counterpart) and decidedly Italian. Like the more common egg drop soup, stracciatella is a thin broth into which beaten eggs are whisked. Differentiating from the Chinese version, stracciatella offers plenty of familiar Italian tastes with Parmigiano-Reggiano, Italian parsley, semolina, and nutmeg. The result is a delicious, warming, comforting soup that takes only minutes from prep to plating. This dish won't win awards for aesthetics—it is what the Italians call brutto ma buono, ugly but good—but while it looks odd, it tastes great.

La Stracciatella alla Romana: Italian Egg Drop Soup

This recipe is nearly identical to tens of other stracciatella recipes prepared by grandmothers across the Apennine Peninsula (although often written alla Romana, this dish is popular throughout Italy). My tweaks are slight: An extra tablespoon of Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more as a garnish, and pancetta. Although it adds a welcome textural contrast, you may omit the pancetta, but I suspect Italian cooks are always generous with the king of cheeses, and you should be too.

Makes 4 large servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup cold plus 5 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon grape seed oil
1/4 pound pancetta, batoned into lardons
3 eggs
1/3 cup freshly and finely-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, preferably stravecchio, plus more to garnish
3 tablespoons semolina
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, plus more to taste

If not already, place 1 cup of your chicken stock in the refrigerator until cold.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the grape seed oil. Once hot, add the pancetta and cook until brown and rendered, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, reserve the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate.

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the remaining 5 cups of chicken stock to a heavy boil.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cold chicken stock, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, semolina, Italian parsley, nutmeg, sea salt, and black pepper. Whisk together very well.

Once the stock is at a heavy boil, slowly whisk in the egg mixture. Lower heat to low and continue whisking about 2 minutes, until the eggs cook and form stracciatelle, little threads.

Add the reserved pancetta. Cook 1 more minute, until heated through. Taste and adjust sea salt and black pepper.

Plated, garnished, and ready to serve

To plate, ladle into warm soup bowls. Garnish with a little mound of Parmigiano-Reggiano in the middle of the bowl. Pairs okay—I would love to hear suggestions on better matches—with a dry sparkling wine from Champagne, in northeast France.