STRACCIATELLA SOUP MANGIONE

My family’s favorite restaurant, when I was in Charlotte, run by the Sicilain Famiglia Mangione, was a neighborhood hub for good food, good fun, good for what ailed you. One could not walk out the door of that trattoria without feeling blessed to have been hosted by Chef Anna and Roberto Mangione and their children “Junior” and Sara. Their congeniality brought you into their family and made you feel at home.

A favorite dish was Anna’s Stracciatella Soup. If on a cold night, I was craving a bowl of that special concoction and it wasn’t on the menu, Anna would say, “No problem, I make it for you”. Today that soup is still a favorite, especially this time of year, as the temperatures drop and I look for a recipe to “warm my cockles”. This is my version.

olive oil (about 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup onion, finely grated
6 cups chicken broth (I started with bones of a smoked turkey breast)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Nutmeg, dash of
5 ounce package fresh baby spinach leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese for topping

 In a large saucepan over medium high heat, cook the onion in olive oil until translucent. Pour in the broth and heat until boiling. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley, and nutmeg. Return the broth to the heat, stirring in a circular motion slowly pour the egg mixture into the broth (you don’t want to scramble the soup). Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. When incorporated, stir in spinach and serve immediately while the spinach is bright green. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese and enjoy the “Homey Flavors”! Serves 2-4.

I encourage you to read about the Magione’s story in this wonderful Southern Foodways Alliance article published in Gravy Fall 2016.

https://www.southernfoodways.org/when-sicily-came-to-charlotte/