Parmesan rinds for life.
Have you ever made Parmesan Broth? If you haven’t, you should! Quick and simple to make, with relatively few ingredients, it has become one of my new favorite kitchen tricks! Unlike other homemade soup stocks, Parmesan broth doesn’t take hours to simmer or tons of ingredients to produce. With just a parmesan rind, half an onion, some garlic cloves, and 30 minutes, you can create a broth that’s both light and aromatic, yet rich in umami and yumminess. This broth would be the perfect base for any springtime vegetable soup, but this week, I decided to use it in my Chicken Meatball and Swiss Chard Soup!
Soft, tender chicken meatballs surrounded by ribbons of swiss chard, swimming in golden broth. Delicate and light, yet richly flavored with the umami of the parmesan and swiss chard, this is the perfect springtime soup. It’s quick to whip up—you could cook it on a weeknight from start to finish, if you wanted!—but it’s also a great make-ahead meal, since the broth and the chicken meatballs can be prepped ahead of time and stored separately or together. And because the parmesan rind continues to impart flavor to the broth as it sits, this is one meal that will only improve with a few days in the refrigerator!
If you’re like me, you have at least one Parmesan rind, hard as a rock and completely inedible, languishing in the back of your cheese drawer. Don’t throw it out! Fill a pot with water, toss it in, and soon you’ll be holding a bowl of delicious, brothy goodness. And at this time of year, when weather’s still flirting with winter though the calendar says spring, there’s nothing more satisfying!
Enjoy!
Chicken and Swiss Chard Meatballs in Parmesan Broth
Makes 4-5 servings
For the meatballs:
1 slice fresh white bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about ½ cup)
¼ cup milk
1 egg, beaten
½ onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup swiss chard leaves, thinly sliced crosswise (taken from the soup recipe below)
½ cup grated parmesan
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 lb ground chicken
For the broth:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pound swiss chard, ribs and leaves separated, ribs diced, leaves thinly sliced (reserve one cup leaves for meatballs)
1 ½ tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, plus more as necessary
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup white wine
½ tsp black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, and 4-5 parsley sprigs, tied into a cheesecloth for easily removal (if desired)
1 large parmesan rind (about 2 ounces)
8 cups water
For the meatballs:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine bread and milk; let sit until milk is absorbed. Stir in beaten egg, onion, garlic, parmesan, black pepper, and swiss chard, then add a quarter pound of the ground chicken and mix by hand until the mixture is homogenous. Add in the rest of the ground pork and mix just until blended. Don’t overwork the mixture; overworking will make the meatballs tough.
Roll into 15-16 ping pong-sized balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake in pre-heated oven until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165, about 10 minutes.
For the broth:
Preheat a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and diced swiss chard ribs with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and sweat until softened, about 10 minutes. (If they start to stick, add a little water to the pan.) Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Add white wine and cook until nearly evaporated. Add sachet, parmesan rind, and water. Heat until just starting to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes, until slightly reduced and flavorful. Remove sachet. Taste broth and add salt as needed (I added 1 teaspoon).
Add swiss chard leaves to the pot and simmer until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Add the meatballs and heat until warmed through. Serve topped with shredded Parmesan cheese.
Originally posted May 13, 2021.
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