Stracciatella Soup
A Roman egg soup where eggs whisked with parmesan, semolina, and lemon zest are poured into the simmering broth in thin threads.
While the broth comes to a gentle boil, the egg mixture has time to come together and the semolina to swell. It's then poured into the calm, swirling broth and simmers briefly into fine strands. The crucial detail is the low, quivering heat when the egg mixture goes in.
Ingredients
The Broth
- 1½ l beef broth, rich, preferably homemade
- salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
The Egg Mixture
- 4 eggs
- 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
- 40 g semolina
- nutmeg, freshly grated, to taste
- 1 lemon, organic, finely grated zest only
To Serve
- 20 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
How to make it
- Whisk the eggs together with the 60 g freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, the semolina, a little freshly grated nutmeg, and the finely grated lemon zest. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper, since the cheese is already quite salty on its own. Keep whisking until the mixture is completely smooth and runs heavily off the whisk with no lumps of semolina.Chef's tip Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth before you let it rest — lumps of semolina still sitting dry won't dissolve later, and they turn into gritty knots in the finished strands.
- Bring the broth to a boil in a wide pot over medium heat, until the surface bubbles gently all the way around. Season it with salt as you go, since the broth carries the whole dish's flavor and needs to taste finished already at this stage. Meanwhile, let the egg mixture stand and absorb, so the semolina has time to swell. ⏱ 8 min–10 min · passiveChef's tip Swelling turns the semolina into part of the mixture instead of dry grain: the grains draw liquid from the eggs, and over the resting time the mixture becomes noticeably thicker and heavier on the whisk.
- Turn the heat down until the broth is just barely simmering and the surface quivers. Stir up a slow swirl with a fork, and pour the egg mixture in a thin stream into the center of the swirl. Keep stirring gently as you pour, so the mixture shreds into thin strands instead of forming one clump.Chef's tip Pour in a stream no thicker than a pencil lead. A thick pour hits the broth faster than it can set and sinks as one lump to the bottom.
- Let the soup simmer without stirring for 3 minutes, until the strands are set and the broth has turned slightly cloudy from the cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper at the end, once the cheese from the egg mixture has released its salt into the broth.Chef's tip Leave it alone once poured — stirring now breaks the just-set strands into grainy flecks. Three minutes is enough; longer and the egg tightens and turns rubbery.
- Ladle the soup into deep, warmed bowls, so the strands spread evenly through the broth. Set the remaining grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the table in a small bowl, so everyone can sprinkle their own over their bowl. Serve the soup immediately, while the strands are still light and loose.Chef's tip Warm the bowls with hot water first. This soup is served thin and hot, and cold porcelain pulls the temperature down within a minute of serving.
