Stracciatella alla Romana

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 liter chicken broth or beef broth, light
• 2 large eggs or 3 medium eggs
• 6 tbsp Pecorino, freshly grated
• 3 tbsp semolina, fine
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• Parsley

Instructions

Working time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 15 minutes

Clear broth with egg and pecorino

Anyone who exclusively associates stracciatella with ice cream is missing out. They’re neither familiar with the cheese specialty Stracciatella di bufala nor with this simple yet delicious soup. The broth should be homemade if possible. Instant powder will not make the soup taste good. If possible, use store-bought chicken stock, but then without flavor enhancers or artificial flavors. But that’s not the real thing either. Bring the broth to a boil and season with a little nutmeg and salt, if desired. Combine the eggs, cheese, and semolina thoroughly and pour it into the simmering broth in a thin stream, stirring with a whisk. Normally, enema soups are immediately removed from the heat to prevent the egg from curdling. Here, the soup is allowed to simmer while stirring to form shreds of egg, cheese, and semolina (similar to Chinese egg yolk soup). Hence the name of the dish: Stracciatella, derived from the Italian adjective “stracciato,” which means “shredded” or “torn.” Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and serve hot. A treat not only in cold weather. Egg, cheese, and optional semolina should be roughly equal in proportion.