Imperial Soup

Imperial Soup is a typical dish of Emilia-Romagna, especially in the area of Ravenna and Romagna in general. It is a dish that combines meat broth with small balls made of semolina, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and nutmeg, then baked. Here is a basic recipe for preparing Imperial Soup:

Ingredients

• 150 g of semolina
• 2 eggs
• 80 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Nutmeg as needed
• Butter as needed for greasing the pan
• Salt as needed
• 1 liter of meat broth

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease a rectangular pan with some butter.
2. Bring a small amount of salted water to a boil and pour in the semolina, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
3. When the semolina has thickened, remove the pan from heat and let it cool slightly.
4. Add the eggs, Parmesan, and a grating of nutmeg to the semolina mixture. Mix well until you have a homogeneous dough.
5. Spread the dough on the prepared pan, leveling it into a uniform layer that isn’t too thick.
6. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until it’s golden brown and set.
7. Once cool, cut the semolina dough into small squares or diamonds.
8. Bring the meat broth to a boil and add the semolina pieces, letting them cook for about 5 minutes.
9. Serve the hot soup in individual bowls.

Imperial Soup can be considered a local version of the more universally known “quenelles,” and is well-suited to festive lunches or as a comforting dish on colder days.

Curiosity

Imperial Soup probably owes its name to the refinement and elegance of the preparation, which make it a “royal” dish, even though it is quite simple to make. Originally it was considered a recovery dish to use leftover broth from celebrations.