Food for Thought

Do you remember in those old historical novels the references to bilious attacks? (Well maybe I'm just older than most of you). That is how I felt after all of the rich (but good) food and wines that I had for Christmas. The perfect antidote is...some chicken soup. But, Italian style. It is called stracciatella and this is how you fix it.

Heat a quantity of chicken stock (you can just pour it right from the can) to the boiling point. For every two cups of stock, in a separate bowl, beat up 1 egg, 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, and a small dash of nutmeg. Pour this mixture slowly into the boiling chicken stock (but watch carefully, and turn down the heat right away as it will boil over and make your stove a mess). If you want to add some cooked noodles, go ahead. Very comforting and easy to make.

I find it so interesting how some foods are universal--chicken soup for what ails you is featured in so many different cuisines: won ton soup, chicken soup with matzo balls and the Brits have their beef tea (well, okay, it's a different animal). Goes down easy and has lots of good protein.