Technically, we have left soup weather, but I can’t resist this gorgeous dish, which is really more of a cross between a soup and stew anyway. I remember being in Italy years ago and digging into a steaming bowl of minestrone, overflowing with seasonal vegies. Every time I found a meatball it was like I’d struck gold – a little nugget of rich flavour. I can still taste the rosemary. So soup weather or not, this dish is a must. It takes next to no time to make and you can even swap the chicken meatballs for lamb or beef – it’s equally tasty and will just need some extra cooking time. Serve with a local merlot and tell summer to wait its turn.
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2 celery stalks
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
300g canned diced tomatoes
1 litre chicken stock
1 tbsp caster sugar
40g (½ cup) parmesan cheese, finely grates
1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
500g minced chicken
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- Peel and roughly chop the onion and carrots, and crush the garlic. Trim and roughly chop the celery. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook these with the rosemary. Stir until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the undrained tomatoes, stock and sugar. Bring the mixture the boil.
- Next the meatballs – peel and crush the garlic and combine with the chicken, rosemary and garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Measure level tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls.
- Add the meatballs to the mixture, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Add extra seasoning if you want, sprinkle with cheese and basil to serve. Yum!
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