Stracciatella (dish)
Stracciatella (from Italian stracciato , 'torn, shredded') is a classic Italian enema soup made from meat broth and beaten egg as well as other regional ingredients. Unlike German enema soup, it is cooked with the egg while stirring, which forms the eponymous shreds.
There are three known varieties of stracciatella:
- For Minestra del Paradiso from Emilia-Romagna , the eggs are mixed with grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs and seasoned with nutmeg . The mixture is added to the boiling soup while stirring with the whisk and allowed to cook gently for about a minute.
- For stracciatella alla pesarese from the Marches , a little flour is added to the mixture and lemon peel is used instead of nutmeg . The preparation method is the same.
- For stracciatella alla romana from Latium , fine semolina is used instead of breadcrumbs and, as in Emilia, seasoned with nutmeg. This mixture has to cook longer - about five minutes - while stirring constantly so that the semolina can swell. It should be served immediately so that the "scraps" don't get too dry.
The ratio of eggs to parmesan cheese is about one to one in all of the recipes; with the Roman variant the same amount of semolina is added, with the others half as much breadcrumbs.