By Chef Joseph Massaglia
Although we now can put the very cold snowy and gloomy January days behind us, we will still have some cold and chilly days ahead as we move through the rest of the winter season. And there is nothing better on a chilly day than a good bowl of hot soup.
I love all soups and I love them year-round. But there is something about a steaming bowl of hot soup on a cold day that makes me (and I hope you) feel warm and cozy inside.
Soup is definitely one of the most popular comfort foods, and researchers have conducted many studies that show that people have happier feelings about others after consuming a bowl of hot soup. One study showed that even holding a warm cup of soup may increase positive feelings toward others.
It’s said that soup is as old as cooking itself, and no one really knows when or who invented it. However, there are signs that even cavemen knew how to boil water (once they could control fire) because residue has been found sticking to pots found from the Iron and Bronze Ages – that’s over 20,000 years ago.
But before soup was boiled in pots it was probably cooked in watertight containers like animal hides and woven baskets, and hot rocks were used to boil the water.
Here’s an interesting fact: the word restaurant, which means something restorative, was first used in France in the 16th century to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup which was sold by street vendors. Then in the mid-1700s, a shop opened in Paris specializing in such soups, which prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for eating establishments.
There are many wonderful Italian soups, and the most familiar in America are probably Minestrone and Italian Wedding Soups. By the way, the latter does not relate in any way to actual weddings, but to the “marriage” of flavors – but that’s for another article!
I grew up eating a delicious Italian soup that my mother called Panada (from “pane” meaning bread). But throughout Italy it’s known as Zuppa Paradiso, or Paradise Soup.
Paradise Soup is a very simple soup made with eggs, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and stock. It also is known as “Poor Man’s Soup” because it uses no meat, and the farmer could gather the eggs from his chickens, make the stock from chicken bones, and turn stale bread into breadcrumbs. And I guess they also could make the cheese!
Dating back to the 19th century, some believe its name came from the fact that no one believed that any “meatballs” made from just eggs, cheese and breadcrumbs could taste so heavenly.
There are very few recipes for Paradise Soup available, but I do have one on my website: www.joestablefortwo.com. There are over 600 authentic Italian recipes on my site, and this recipe, which comes from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, is listed in the soups section. I’ve included it with this article.
It’s very important to use soft breadcrumbs made from slightly stale bread you have on hand. Dry breadcrumbs out of the round container purchased at the grocery store won’t work.
I found three other recipes online that are very similar to my recipe. The only difference is that some recipes separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and then beat the whites until stiff before adding to breadcrumb mixture. That method makes for a fluffier “meatball.”
Whichever method you try, I know you will find this soup to be heavenly.
Be well, stay safe, and please continue to support your local restaurants.
Buon Appetito!
Joe’s Table for Two radio show airs Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WOND 1400 AM. Website: joestablefortwo.com. Facebook: Joe’s Table for 2. Contact Joe:
