ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP For the meatballs: 1/2 lb ground beef 1/2 lb ground veal, pork or turkey 1/4 cup bread crumbs (commercial, or grate your own from stale Italian bread) 1 egg 1 T parsley, finely chopped 1/2 clove garlic, minced (optional) 1/2 tsp paprika (optional) 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste For the soup: 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups spinach, chopped 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese OPTIONAL: Orzo - small grains of pasta shaped like barley. COMBINE the ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, minced garlic and salt and pepper in mixing bowl. Mix well with a fork and form into tiny meat balls (shown are about the size of a golf ball, but traditional meatballs are a bit smaller) with your hands. PLACE meatballs on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes at 350F, until brown. (See ALTERNATE, below) ABOUT ten minutes before serving, bring the chicken broth to a boil, add the spinach and cook until tender. Add the meatballs and return soup to a simmer. Stir in the Pecorino cheese and serve. ALTERNATE: you can sauté the meatballs in olive oil until brown and proceed with step 3 (above), or bring your chicken stock to a low boil, add the uncooked meatballs, simmer for about 25 minutes, add the spinach, cook until tender, stir in the cheese and serve.