My late grandmother came from the Old country, and I've used this recipe as a basis for replicating her recipe, but a few adjustments are critical.
First, the pasta must be cooked separately; otherwise, it thickens and ruins the soup. If you don't plan on leftovers, the pasta can be cooked in the soup, but you need to go easy on the amount of pasta. She always preferred alphabet pasta.
Second, she always used either ground turkey or chicken for the meatballs. Also, you need to take it easy on the spices in the meatballs because they can easily overpower the milder flavor of poultry. (By the way, why would anyone use ground beef in a chicken stock--it doesn't make sense, not to mention it isn't authentic.)
Third, she used celery in her recipe. I add a couple of stalks, finely diced. I also up the amount of carrots.
Finally, for an added touch, she always had hard-boiled eggs available for individuals to add, as they chose. It enriches the flavor and texture.
This recipe is very good--with these few tweaks. Thanks for sharing it.
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