Minestroni with Chicken Balls recipe

Recipe for colourful vegetable and pasta minestroni soup with chicken balls

Ingredients
CHICKEN BALLS – makes 10 balls

2 skinless chicken breast fillets
1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (60 ml) Italian hard cheese, finely grated
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman’s Chicken Stock Powder
1 large egg
flour for dusting

SOUP

2 T (30 ml) olive or canola oil
2 leeks or 1 small onion, sliced
2 large carrots, scraped, halved lengthways and cut into half rings
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman’s Vegetable Spice
6 cups (1,5 L) water
3 x 25 g sachets Ina Paarman’s Liquid Chicken Stock or 2 T (30 ml) Ina Paarman’s Chicken Stock Powder
1 cup (250 ml) small pasta rings, bows, or shells
2 large handfuls (+- 100 g) of baby spinach or sliced Swiss chard
extra grated Italian hard cheese

How to
Cut the chicken breasts into large chunks.

Pulse them in a food processor until coarsely minced.

Add breadcrumbs, cheese, Stock and egg. Blend until only just mixed.

Roll heaped tablespoonfuls into balls. Roll in a little flour. Place in the freezer while measuring and preparing ingredients for the soup. Heat oil in a medium/large size pot. Briefly brown the chicken balls in the oil. Spoon them out and keep on one side.

Add leeks, carrots, garlic and Vegetable Spice and saute for 1 minute. Add water and Chicken Stock. Bring to the boil. Stir in pasta and boil for 8 minutes. Reduce heat and add chicken balls. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute. Taste for seasoning.

Ladle into soup bowls. Serve with crusty bread. Pass extra cheese at the table.

By: Ina Paarman