Canederli
4
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.
