The story of Meatball soup
Meatball soup exists in almost every kitchen where meat was minced to stretch it for everyone. In Bulgaria meatballs and rice go into a soup thickened with egg at the end, in Romania meatball soup is sour, in Mexico meatballs with rice simmer in tomato broth, and in Italy wedding soup is a soup of greens with tiny meatballs, its name usually explained as the marriage of vegetables and meat.
In Israel meatball soup settled right in the middle: a simple vegetable broth of carrot, celery, potatoes and zucchini, with ground chicken meatballs cooked in it. Families from North Africa add turmeric, coriander and sometimes chickpeas, others dill and a little lemon. It is a weekday soup made from whatever is in the fridge and a kilo of ground chicken, with a whole meal in one pot an hour later.
What makes Meatball soup itself
In meatball soup the meatballs are both the garnish and the stock. They go into the boiling soup raw, cook in it for 25 minutes, and give it a meaty flavour without a single bone in the pot. The secret is the meatball itself: ground thigh, breadcrumbs and cold water keep it tender, and a short knead with the salt keeps it whole. The vegetables go in stages, so the carrots are soft while the zucchini still hold their shape.
