Minestra Maritata (personal recipe)
For the broth:
2 lb (900 g) beef
1/2 lb (200 g) Italian pancetta (substitute with un-smoked bacon)
1/2 chicken
1 lb (450 g) pork meat
3 - 4 pork ribs
beef bones for broth
1 carrot, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled
1 small bunch of Italian parsley
2 celery sticks
4 bay leaves
2 small tomatoes, halved
salt
For the soup:
1 head green cabbage, cut in large shreds
1 head escarole, chopped in large pieces
1 lb (400 g) swiss chard
1 small bunch of herbs (basil and thyme)
1 small red chili pepper
salt
4 oz (120 g) freshly grated parmigiano cheese

Minestra Maritata - The Impossible Soup

Minestra Maritata literally translates as “Married Soup,” and it is called “Italian Wedding Soup” on many Internet sites, and even in some cookbooks.

I hope by now everyone knows the true origin of the name for this soup. For those who don’t, I will say that the soup is made by combining together a very strong meat broth with vegetables. All the ingredients “si sposano,” they blend or “marry” well together, hence the name “Minestra Maritata.” Somebody not familiar with the Italian language, I guess, decided to translate it as “Wedding Soup,” creating the misunderstanding. Many thought that Italians serve this soup at weddings. They don’t.

I call this dish “The Impossible Soup.” The original recipes found in old Neapolitan cookbooks have a list of ingredients that are impossible to find nowadays, especially if you live far from the region (fat and cholesterol aside). Prosciutto bone, prosciutto rind, lard, pancetta (Italian bacon), and Neapolitan sausage all go into the broth making, as well as an array of cabbages and vegetables only found locally.

If we want to make this dish, we have no other choice than to make it with what’s available. We don’t think this is against the principles of the recipe. In fact, this preparation belongs to the “poor man’s” traditional cooking, the types of dishes where everything edible you can put your hands on ends up in the boiling pot. So here is our simplified (and lighter) version. The result is an excellent one-course meal.