Canederli

1 cup stale bread, chopped in small cubes

1½ cups milk

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons each minced leeks and celery

4 ounces sweet Italian sausage (out of casing)

2 eggs

Parsley, to taste, chopped

¼–1 cup flour and/or Panko breadcrumbs

⅓ cup shredded fontina cheese

2 quarts chicken stock

Grated Parmesan, to garnish

Soak bread in milk for at least 1 hour.

Cook the celery and leeks in the butter until slightly brown. Add the sausage and sauté, stirring until the sausage is fully cooked and slightly browned.

Put milk-soaked bread in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sausage mixture, and some chopped parsley and mix well. Start adding flour/Panko to the mix until you have a texture that’s sticky but firm. It needs to hold the shape of a ball. Add Fontina cheese.

Dust hands with flour, scoop up mix and roll into small balls (about 1 rounded tablespoon each).

Drop balls into boiling chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes. Remove balls from stock and reduce liquid by half.

Place 3 balls in each bowl and cover with reduced chicken stock. Sprinkle with Parmesan and chopped parsley and serve.

From Issue

No. 09 / Summer 2019