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Noodle-Free Chicken Soup

This is a great late-night snack or easy lunch. It’s my version of stracciatelle or “rag” soup. Basically, it’s an Italian egg-drop soup. I make mine really full of egg “rags” or ribbons because when I eat chicken noodle soup I would make a bowl of noodles with a little broth. It’s best to eat this really fresh and hot, so if you’re cooking for one or two, just cut the recipe in half.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

2 quarts chicken stock or both
8 eggs
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some to pass at table
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring the stock to a boil in a medium soup pot, then reduce heat to medium to have a good strong simmer going on. Beat the eggs with the nutmeg, pepper, and cheese. Add the eggs to the soup pot and stir them in with a whisk, swirling in a figure-eight pattern, making the eggs into rags in the soup. Ladle into shallow bowls and garnish with generous sprinkles of parsley and more cheese.

  2. Tidbit

    Step 2

    Buy stock or broth in asceptic boxes rather than cans. They might cost a little more, but the stocks especially have great slow-cooked flavor that really makes fast-cooked food taste rich. Plus, whatever you don’t use can go directly into the refrigerator, without having to transfer it from a can. If I know I am not going to use my remainder stock within the next few days, I will transfer it to a resealable plastic bag and freeze it flat. (I have had a small revolution of freezer storage space since embracing the freezing of things flat.)

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