One usually associates Roman cookery with hearty and robustly flavored dishes and, by and large, the image holds true. But there are some exceptions, like today’s offering: stracciatella, a light and delicately flavored ‘egg drop soup’.
Stracciatella is utterly simple and—if you have the broth at hand—very quick to make. Beaten egg is whisked together with grated parmigiano-reggiano and various flavorings, then swirled into simmering broth to form little curds or ‘rags’ (stracce in Italian) giving the soup its name.
It’s a great choice for those occasions when you may not be very hungry—perhaps you’ve had a big lunch and prefer something light but warming for dinner. Stracciatella is also gentle on the stomach, so it’s ideal when you’re feeling under the weather. And provided you have broth on hand, it can whipped up on the spur of the moment, so it’s also a great choice for serving unexpected company or when you don’t feel much like cooking.
Stracciatella perhaps most often figures, however, as a primo piatto or first course, and a favorite choice for Easter dinner. No doubt it’s the egg, practically synonymous with Easter as a symbol of life and rebirth. Stracciatella will sit more gently on the stomach than other Italian Easter favorites like say asparagus lasagne, so you’ll still have plenty of room for that lamb roast. Not to mention dessert…
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 1.5 liters (6 cups) broth, preferably homemade
Plus:
- 4 medium eggs
- 4 heaping Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Optional:
- 4 Tbs semolina
- Grated nutmeg
- Grated lemon zest
- Finely chopped parsley
Directions
Bring the broth to a fairly brisk simmer (but not a rolling boil).
While the broth is coming up to heat, in a mixing bowl whisk the egg together with the grated cheese, salt and pepper and, if you like, one or more of the optional flavorings, until perfectly smooth and homogenous.
When the broth is at the simmer, pour the egg mixture into the broth in one go, whisking (or stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon) in a single direction. After a minute or two, the egg mixture will separate into little curds or stracce.
Allow the soup to simmer for a couple of minutes more and serve hot, with additional grated cheese on the side for those who care for it.
Notes
The choice of broth is yours—chicken, beef or a brodo classico all go well. The important thing is that the broth be full of flavor and preferably homemade. This is a dish that stands or falls on the quality of the broth.
While the core ingredients for stracciatella—broth, egg and cheese—are a constant, as is the basic technique, as usual in Italian cookery variations abound. Hence all the optional flavorings. Nutmeg is perhaps the most common. The semolina is original to the dish, featured in all of the most traditional recipes, including the one in the authoritative Talismano della Felicità. Modern recipes mostly omit it, which makes for an even lighter dish. And many modern versions of this dish, including the recipe proposed by the Accademia della Cucina Italiana and most online recipe you’ll come across, call for the grated lemon zest, which of course brightens the dish. It can be a nice touch if you have a light hand. If you overdo it, you’ll overwhelm the other delicate flavors. Some recipes call for a bit of chopped parsley for color, which I rather like. Or for an elegant touch, top with chopped chive just before serving.
One ingredient that doesn’t figure in Italian recipes is spinach. That’s an Italian-American variation.
Stracciatella soup is not to be confused, of course, with the gelato of the same name, or another Roman beef dish called straccetti.
And for a more elaborate soup in a similar vein, you might try sciusceddu alla messinese from Sicily.
Stracciatella alla romana
Ingredients
- 1.5 liters 6 cups broth preferably homemade
Plus
- 4 medium eggs
- 4 heaping Tbs Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- Salt and pepper
Optional
- 4 Tbs semolina
- nutmeg grated
- lemon zest grated
- fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring the broth to a fairly brisk simmer (but not a rolling boil).
- While the broth is coming up to heat, in a mixing bowl scramble the egg together with the grated cheese, salt and pepper and, if you like, one or more of the optional flavorings. Whisk well until perfectly smooth and homogenous.
- When the broth is at the simmer, pour the egg mixture into the broth in one go, all the time whisking (or stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon) in a single direction. After a minute or two, the egg mixture will separate into little curds.
- Allow the soup to simmer for a couple of minutes more and serve hot, with additional grated cheese on the side for those who care for it.
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