Auntie Lidia’s chicken meatball soup with risoni—the best soup in the world!

(Polpettini in brodo della zia)

Serves 6

A dinner invite from zia Lidia, my auntie, means this soup. I wouldn’t have it any other way as it tastes amazing and everyone loves it. She cooks and prepares wonderful food, including the most fantastic pickled artichokes in oil, but this soup is my favourite. During winter, we feature this soup in Caffé Pendolino in Sydney, and it is no surprise that it is always a big hit. At Pendolino, we substitute the risoni for freshly made quadrettini pasta, which is a nice touch, but risoni or pastina are the classic pastas to use.

2.4 litres (84 fl oz) chicken broth

fine sea salt, to taste

200 g (7 oz) risoni

freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, to serve (optional)

MEATBALLS

300g (10½ oz) minced (ground) chicken

2 x 59 g (2¼ oz) free-range or organic eggs

90 g (3¼ oz/1½ cups) fresh white breadcrumbs

150 g (5½ oz/1½ cups) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1½ tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

fine sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To make the meatballs, mix all the meatball ingredients together. Roll into balls that are 2.5 cm (1 inch) in diameter and set aside on a plate or tray. My auntie’s tip for rolling the meatballs is to lightly cover your hands with olive oil as this makes rolling very easy and prevents the mixture from sticking to your hands.

Bring the chicken broth to the boil. Season with the sea salt, being careful not to overseason as the meatballs will add saltiness to the soup. Add the chicken meatballs one by one. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes before adding the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring the risoni intermittently. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, if desired.