January's Cooking Club Challenge Mid-Month Round-Up!

Ooh la la, look at what we have here, Bitchin' Kitchen's spectacular Italian Stracciatella with Mini Meatballs, Tender Cheese Tortellini and Baby Spinach courtesy of Nadia G. I'll be making mine over the weekend, and based on these results I can't wait. We've got about a week and a half left, so get cracking with this one. Who knows, you might just be the next CCC winner.

Results please...

Chef Julie M: "I knew I wouldn't be able to find gluten free tortellini so I made them from scratch. It was my first time making pasta and I'm very pleased to say they turned out wonderful. The meatballs turned out delicious as well. Overall this soup was a complete success. A lot of work, but the outcome was well worth it. I will definitely be making it again in the near future... Probably tomorrow!"

      

Chef Nicole D: "I think soup was the perfect thing to kick off this year's CCC, especially since we've been getting dump after dump of snow here. No one wants to go outside so this is lovely comfort food. I had mixed feelings - I loved the broth, the inclusion of tortellini and the spinach, but I was not quite as keen on the meatballs. The smell of the soup as I made it was amazing though."  

     

Chef Wanyer100: "I tried Nadia's "Liquid Gold" stock recipe, except I roasted the chicken and veggies for extra flavor. The resulting stock was more opaque, but very rich. Because my pasta was larger, I had to strain them and the meatballs to make the egg "rags”. Overall a very pleasant meal. Maybe a little more spice kick in the meatballs for my taste. Thanks Nadia. (Man I never thought I would say that!)"

      

Chef Annastable: "In the spirit of this month's challenge, I went with my family's version of stracciatella soup (from the Italian word stracci, "rags") which is really closer to Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe than Nadia G's." 

      

Here's how the Cooking Club Challenge works:

Make the recipe posted belowFollow the recipe either to a "T" or add your creative flairEmail us (community@foodnetwork.ca) a picture (jpg. format) and a short descriptive paragraph - 50 words - before month's end for your chance to win!

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1 egghandful parsley, finely mincedbig pinch of Greek oregano1 clove garlic, minced1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated1 teaspoon Italian seasoned breadcrumbs1/4 pound ground pork, Boston butt1/4 pound ground sirloin6 cups “Liquid Gold” Chicken broth (see recipe)Mini tortellini1 eggpinch sea salt1 cup fresh baby spinachParmesan cheese, freshly grated for toppingIn a bowl, combine the egg, parsley, Greek oregano, garlic, parmesan and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Mix together. Add the Boston butt and sirloin and mix for a coupla seconds more until flavors are incorporated into meat, don’t over-mix. Roll into tiny balls the size of marbles.Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large pot. Throw in the mini meatballs and tortellini. Simmer for 8 minutes.In a small bowl, beat together the egg and sea salt. Slowly stream the egg into the pot while whisking the broth quickly with a fork to form stracciatella.Place a portion of the baby spinach in a soup bowl. Pour hot soup over spinach and top with freshly grated parmesan.......................................