Stracciatella - Roman Egg Drop Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This soup makes a delightfully easy and delicious light meal. It is not substantial enough for everyone, but most folks enjoy the soup as a separate course or as part of a larger meal. While this recipe is Roman, the Chinese and the Greeks have nearly identical soups in their repertoires and I sense we'd be in trouble if we try to assign the soup a country of origin. There's not much to this. It consists of a good broth into which eggs, mixed with semolina and grated cheese, are dropped. The eggs are stirred vigorously, causing them to break them into the characteristic flakes or shards that resemble rags. The rags, called straccetti in Italian, are what give the soup its name. Years ago, the soup was eaten at least once a week, but it popularity has waned in recent years. That's a shame. It is a lovely restorative soup. I hope you'll try it at least once. Here's the recipe.

Stracciatella - Roman Egg Drop Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 quarts chicken broth
4 eggs
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano
1 tablespoon very finely minced parsley (optional)
3-4 tablespoons semolina (optional)
A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions:
1) Combine eggs, semolina, grated cheese, parsley and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add a ladle of cold broth and beat mixture lightly with a fork or whisk.
2) Bring remainder of broth to a boil. Add egg mixture all at once, stirring vigorously with a whisk or fork so as to break egg mass into small flakes or shards. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, and serve, passing additional grated cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Lemon Soup - 400 Calories or Less
Soupa Avgolemono - Living the Gourmet
Chinese Egg Drop Soup - Sea Salt with Food
Mushroom Egg Drop Soup - Simply Life
Stracciatella alla Roma - Memorie di Angelina
Enoki Miso Soup - Indonesia Eats
Avgolemono - One Perfect Bite
Ginger Egg Drop Soup - White On Rice Couple

Tomato Clafoutis

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...You know there's too much on your plate when green tomatoes, meant for relish, turn bright red on the pantry shelf while waiting to be used. While there'll be no chow-chow this year, there is an upside to all of this. Those no longer green tomatoes will give me an opportunity to share an old recipe with you. It was developed by Patricia Wells and while it's called a clafoutis, I honestly think it's texture is more like that of a frittata. I'll leave final judgment to those of you who experiment with the recipe. Whatever you chose to call it, rest assured that it's a nice entree for lunch or a light supper. The dish is far more attractive when it's made with uniformly sized Roma tomatoes. Unfortunately, I had to use those pesky no longer green tomatoes to make mine. This is more time consuming than most custard dishes. The tomatoes must be skinned before they are cored and seeded. They are then cut, salted and left to drain on paper toweling for at least 30 minutes to rid them of moisture. Too much juice can spoil the custard, so don't rush this step. I actually let mine drain for about 1 hour before proceeding with the recipe. Once the tomatoes are done, the remainder of the recipe is child's play. I hope you'll give it a try. Here's how it's made.

Tomato Clafoutis...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Patricia Wells

Ingredients:
2 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled, cored, quartered, seeded and juiced
Salt
2 whole eggs + 2 additional egg yolks
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 10-inch round baking dish. Set aside.
2) Salt tomatoes and drain on several thicknesses of paper toweling for 30 to 60 minutes.
3) Place eggs, cream, half of Parmesan cheese and half of thyme in in a small bowl. Whisk to
combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4) Layer tomatoes on bottom of baking dish. Pour batter over tomatoes. Sprinkle with remainder of cheese and thyme.
5) Bake until batter is set, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Tomato, Zucchini and Goat Cheese Clafoutis - What's for Lunch Honey
Eggplant Clafoutis - Eating Club Vancouver
Rose Murray's Roasted Tomato Clafoutis - More Than Burnt Toast
Bistro Artichoke Clafoutis - Sippity Sup
Romanesco Claufoutis with Soy Ricotta - Vegalicious
David Boulud's Asparagus Clafoutis - La Belle Cuisine