A Great Soup Recipe and an Update

The calendar says its October so it should be cold. Here in Northern California the temperature hit 83 degrees today. I am still in the mood for soup, so I pulled out one of my favorite recipes and made Meatball soup with escarole and rice. I found the original recipe years ago in a Bon Appetit magazine. It is easy to make and highly adaptable. For instance, I forgot to buy the escarole at the store today, so I am omitting it from the recipe tonight. I also changed out the orzo pasta in the original recipe for rice. I precooked the rice and added about 1/4 cup to each bowl before I ladled the soup in the bowl. I will give you both recipes and you decide which you like best.

On another note- I have decided to stop my other blog A Gluten Free Journey. I am having a hard time keeping up with both blogs, so I think I will just post my recipes on Honey Pickles. My hubby and other sons don't eat gluten free (YET!) so I still have plenty of regular recipes as well as yummy gf recipes that I would love to share with all of you. Thanks for all the support!

Meatball Soup with Escarole and Rice (adapted from Bon Appetit)

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs ( or fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread)
1 large egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

7 1/2 cups low salt chicken broth, divided
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large celery stalks, chopped

For GF recipe: 2 cups of hot cooked rice
or
1/2 cup orzo
1 small head of escarole, coarsely torn

Blend beef, 1/3 cup cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Using moistened hands shape meat mixture into 3/4 -inch meatballs. Heat 1 1/2 cups broth and oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and simmer until firm enough to hold shape, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to bowl. Boil broth until reduced to glaze, about 6 minutes. Add carrots, celery and onion to pot. Stir until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 6 cups of broth, (pasta, if using) and meatballs with any juices. Reduce heat. Simmer until pasta( if using) is tender, about 10 minutes. Add escarole and simmer until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If going gf, add 1/4 cup of cooked hot rice to bowl and ladle soup over rice. Serve with remaining 1 cup of cheese.


Note (10/26/08): I re-heated the soup today for lunch and instead of the rice, I added some mashed potatoes to the soup. It was a real winner. I think I like the soup best with the mashed potatoes. It gave the soup a creaminess as well as a terrific flavor.