By Grandma Pearl Bonfitto
This is my Grandmother’s "garbage soup" eaten mostly in January and February. I never liked it as a kid (though I did like to eat only the pepperoni out of the soup), I have now grown fond of it. Enjoy!

First, make your chicken soup.
Boil a small chicken
Add chopped carrots, onion, celery
In a separate pan of water with some salt added, boil chopped escarole – the curly kind if possible – it’s tender
Cook escarole until it is tender
REMOVE THE CHICKEN FROM THE SOUP
Drain and add the cooked escarole to the chicken soup
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut one stick of good pepperoni into rounds and add. You can also add tiny meatballs – if you like

In a mixing bowl mix together:
½ pound good hamburger finely ground
finely ground parsley
grated cheese, salt, pepper to taste
1 egg
½ cup bread crumbs
pinch of nutmeg

Roll out the mixture into small, round meatballs and drop in the soup
The meatballs will be very soft. DO NOT STIR the soup until the meatballs are cooked
OPTIONAL: Add ¼ cup of rice (no more than that)

Posted by: Russell B