I am sure it is safe to say that when my Italian ancestors boarded a boat traveling from Italy to America, they realized many things would change. I cannot safely say that within the blending of traditions, flavors and languages, they could have anticipated how many of their love-language words would be twisted and turned into Italian American slang.
“Manicotti” became “manicott.” Delicious, creamy ricotta is called “ricott” among my family members. Maybe the most infamous of slang words is the cured meat, capicola, which doesn’t even start with a “g” but somehow became “gabagool.” But it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that the delicious beans, greens and meat soup my family called “minest” was short for “minestra”... which is where our Italian Wedding Soup journey begins.
Upon a quick Google search, you’ll learn Italian Wedding Soup is not a soup traditionally served at Italian weddings at all (bummer), but yet another Italian American twist on a classic—Minestra Maritata. This “married soup” gains its robust flavor from the blending (or marriage) of ingredients like bitter greens and tough pieces of meat cooked in broth. The variations I’ve found include, but are not limited to, mustard greens, escarole, broccoli rabe, cabbage, potatoes, sausage, pancetta, prosciutto, white beans, rice and pasta pieces, all cooked together in a homemade stock.
My family’s “minest” is the ultimate comfort food, a hug from the inside, a “warm you right up on a cold day and make you feel extra loved” kind of meal. My grandmother’s had cabbage, salami, sausage and white beans. My mother’s has “scarole” (escarole), potatoes and beans. My friend Rachael Ray also makes hers with escarole, plus cannellini beans and pancetta, served with a big slice of garlic-rubbed peasant bread. All three of these amazing family recipes are different, warming, delicious and absolutely covered in freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
One of the most distinguishing differences between Italian Wedding Soup and its predecessor are meatballs. I am assuming the adorable, teeny tiny meatballs that float around in our beloved Italian Wedding Soup bowls are a nod to the bits of pork or chicken that are found in a classic Minestra Maritata.
It seems I am the first generation in my family to be making the version of the comforting dish called Italian Wedding Soup. I use ground chicken or turkey to make my mini meatballs, toss them into a big soup pot filled with simmering stock (homemade sometimes, but usually from a box), with carrots, celery, tons of baby spinach and one of my favorite pasta shapes, ditalini. As a recipe developer, I like the promise of a one-pot meal. As a busy mom, I still like the promise of a one-pot meal, and I also know meatballs are a sure-bet meal in our house, so this one stays on rotation all winter long.
Now that we understand where the title of the recipe comes from, does Beef Goulash need a rebrand?! “Hungarian Wedding Stew”! Coming in hot for St. Patrick’s Day is “Irish Matrimonial Corned Beef and Cabbage.” Maybe I’ll steal one of these ideas for my next recipe development project. Or maybe we’ll leave it up to the Italian Americans and their sweet marriages of flavor.
