In SELF’s franchise, The Meal I Eat Once I’m Feeling…, we speak with cooks, celebs, athletes, and other people within the culinary house in regards to the particular meals or meals they flip to amid sure feelings—and the way consuming their favorites performs an important function of their self-care.
When the climate begins to chill down in London, actor and cookbook creator Stanley Tucci inevitably begins to crave the nice and cozy, fragrant dishes he loved as a child in New York. And now, as a dad to a five- and eight-year-old, he’s recreating those self same comforting meals and moments along with his family.
That’s why he usually turns to Brodo di Gallina con Polpettine di Pollo—or rooster noodle soup with meatballs—to heat up his family on chilly days. When he was a child, his mother, aunt, and grandmother all stewed variations of the aromatic, brothy meal, serving it up for normal weeknight dinners and even as Thanksgiving appetizers, Tucci tells SELF. Now, it’s his flip to proceed the custom. “Though I by no means make it pretty much as good as they did,” Tucci admits.
The soup of his childhood was anchored by pastina, the tiny star-shaped pasta bites that always present up in Italian-American consolation dishes. He’s at all times savored his recollections of digging into the small stars submerged in steamy rooster broth, so he was upset to study that Ronzoni—a preferred pasta model—discontinued the beloved product throughout the US earlier this yr (which despatched social media right into a frenzy). So, as an ode to his household’s favourite consolation meals, Tucci partnered with S. Pellegrino to revive the cultural staple: In 2023, he developed a meal package that options the pasta form so others can proceed to benefit from the nostalgic eats of his youth.
Tucci historically leans into his heritage in his work, so it’s no shock he took the initiative to protect the pastina. For instance, he hosts the journey docuseries Trying to find Italy, which spotlights Italian dishes with deep cultural, political, and environmental tales behind them. The episodes cowl subjects starting from sustainably rising grapes in Sicily to refugee restaurateurs working to ascertain their model of residence in Venice.
Tucci’s soup is simple, nostalgic, and comforting, however there’s one other huge cause he continues to ladle it out: It “fills you up,” he says, due to the protein from the rooster meatballs and the fiber from the greens. Tucci spoke with SELF to share his recipe for his cozy and nutrient-rich Brodo di Gallina con Polpettine di Pollo—plus some recommendations on learn how to make it certainly one of your new favourite recipes to prepare dinner, too.
1. Pull out your Prompt Pot.
To save lots of your self a while and vitality, toss all of the substances into an Prompt Pot, Tucci says. This can velocity up the cooking course of, so you possibly can prep an enormous batch within the morning after which reheat it later when you’re able to eat. It’s a terrific hack to keep away from having to begin dinner whenever you get residence from work, he provides.
2. Don’t overlook the toppings and sides.
As an alternative of merely ladling your soup right into a bowl and digging in, attempt elevating it with the assistance of some particular toppings or sides, Tucci explains. “It’s a really type of Italian factor the place you grate cheese onto a soup, significantly rooster soup; it provides it a stupendous taste,” he says. Attempt a pointy choice like Parmesan or Romano for salty and nutty notes.
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