Minestra with Beef & Pork Polpette

Soup Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 4 ounces thickly sliced pancetta (I used bacon, chopped)
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic: 3 thinly slices, 1 smashed but whole
• 1 starchy potato (such as russet), peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• 2 heads escarole, chopped
• Freshly graded nutmeg
• 1 (15- to 19-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
• 6 cups chicken stock

Meatball Ingredients:

• 3 slices white bread or peasant bread, crusts trimmed
• Milk, for soaking the bread
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, fennel pollen, or ground fennel
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (smoked or regular)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• A generous handful of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley tops, finely chopped
• 1 egg yolk
• Olive oil, for drizzle

Directions:

1. Make the soup: In a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the Olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and render a couple minutes. Add the onions, sliced garlic, potato, bay leaf, and salt, pepper, and a few grates of nutmeg. Cover to wilt. Stir in the beans, stock, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rolling simmer while you make the meatballs.
2. Make meatballs: Douse the bread with milk to soften. Place the ground meats in a bowl. Season the meat with fennel, paprika, red pepper flakes (if using), and salt and pepper. Add the cheese, parsley, and egg yolk. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and pull it into little crumbs as you add it to the meat. Drizzle with olive oil and roll the meat into walnut-size balls.
3. Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Add the meatballs and poach until cooked through.
4. Serve the soup in shallow bowls with shredded Parm on top and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

~Recipe from Week in a Day with Rachael Ray