I Love Soup

I love soup. All kinds of soup. I love the big peasant ones, that are a whole meal with a loaf of crusty bread; I love the delicate creamy ones, like butternut squash with a swirl of creme fraiche. When I'm sick I crave the lemon, nutmeg and parmigiano "worms" that make up straciatella, or the lemony creaminess of a Greek Avogolemono. I love the smokiness of a rich split pea soup, and the smoothness of a carrot laden lentil soup. The list just goes on and on.
But the thing I enjoy most about soups is that they are truly easy. You can throw almost anything into a pot, add some liquid, put the burner on low simmer, and just walk away. An hour or so later (or maybe even less), you come back and voila - soup's on! On a lazy afternoon you can put up a huge pot (my pot is so big it actually has a spigot!), divide it into small containers and stock your freezer. You're set for weeks (maybe months). And making soup really gives one a sense of accomplishment. You start with all those raw ingredients, put in a little effort, and you've made something magical.
One of my absolute all time favorites is escarole and meatball soup. It still evokes memories of when I was a kid, and my mother would make me tiny fried meatballs to munch on while she made the soup. When I had my daughter I did the same for her, and she loved sitting in the kitchen, blowing on the meatballs to cool them, watching me make the soup that she then refused to eat! Not even meatballs could entice her to eat escarole soup. She doesn't know what she's missing.
So here's my recipe. Make it for someone you love, tiny fried meatballs and all.

1 large head of escarole, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 lb chop meat (I like to use a mix of pork, veal and beef)
1/4 cup parmigiano cheese
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (I use fresh, but you can use dried)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Make the meatballs: combine all ingredients except the escarole and the chicken stock in a bowl and mix well. With your hands, form 1 inch meatballs (and even tinier ones for your kitchen helper) Fry the meatballs in olive oil in the bottom of a heavy soup pot (I use Le Creuset) until golden. The larger meatballs will still be a little raw in the center and will cook through in the soup. Remove the tiniest meatballs for munching. Add the escarole and the chicken stock to the pot. Cover and simmer approximately 30 minutes, until the escarole is soft.
Serve with crusty bread and a dusting of parmigiano cheese.

Canellini beans make a good addition to this hearty soup. If you want a thicker, heartier soup, you can puree some of the beans with some of the chicken stock, and add the pureed mixture to the pot.