Traditionally, this Italian soup is built from a base of meaty brodo, a long-cooked broth made from the bones of meat and fowl. For the pasta, tubettini or orzo can be used in place of the ditalini.
Ingredients:
For the Broth
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 large or 3 small (about .13 ounce) dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
2 ounces (.13 pound on butcher’s scale) ground pork
2 ounces (.13 pound on butcher’s scale) 85% lean ground beef
1 bay leaf
¼ cup dry white wine
1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
1 cup water
For the Meatballs
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon heavy cream
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons finely grated onion
¼ teaspoon finely grated garlic
Salt and ground, black pepper, to taste
3 ounces (.19 pound on butcher’s scale) ground pork
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 ounces (.19 pound on butcher’s scale) 85% lean ground beef
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Crushed red-pepper flakes, to taste
½ cup ditalini pasta
1 bunch (4 – 6 ounces, or about 3 cups) kale, stemmed and torn into ½“ pieces
Preparation:
For the broth, heat the onion, garlic, porcini, pork, beef, and bay leaf in a medium-sized, heavy pot over medium-high heat; season with a little salt and ground, black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until meats are no longer pink. Add wine, Worcestershire, chicken broth, beef broth and water; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
While broth simmers, prepare the meatballs by combining the breadcrumbs, cream, Parmesan, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, the pork, beef, baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and oregano. Using moistened hands (I wear latex gloves), form teaspoons of meat mixture into very small, smooth, round meatballs; you should have around 35 meatballs. Cover and refrigerate.
Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Wipe out the pot and return broth to it. Note that the broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days – skim off the fat before reheating.
Return broth to simmer over medium-high heat. Add pasta and kale; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add meatballs; return to simmer and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is al dente. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
