Stracciatella alla Donna Selvaggia

This post is part of Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet.

As my readers know, I am currently in the middle of a paleo plan to help me jump-start my return to traditional foods, and kill my sugar cravings. I think it’s going pretty well, but one issue I have is my food budget. Now it’s hard to eat out on the Whole30, so that’s helpful, but I’m just not used to having meat more than two or three times a week.

Generally, we’ll buy either a pound of beef or a 3-4-lb. chicken, and stretch that to as many meals as possible, and then have one meal based on fish, one on beans, one on eggs, and perhaps a pizza. Of course, the beans and pizza are out. I can stretch our budget by buying two dozen eggs, but I struggle to feel full on an egg-based meal that doesn’t include 3 eggs per person!

This is where bone broth comes in. Bone broths have a protein-sparing effect on the body, so eating a broth-based meal means I need to include less protein overall in the meal. I’ve already done a coconut-milk-and-broth curry soup with just vegetables, but this week I still wanted a little protein boost. But instead of 3 eggs per person, I could get away with just 3 eggs for both of us.

Stracciatella alla Donna Selvaggia (egg drop soup in the style of the wild woman)

2 Tbsp. fat (I used the beef fat from the top of my broth)

2 leeks, sliced and washed

3-4 cups of homemade bone broth (I used beef)

2-3 cups of chopped kale

3 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy pot over medium heat, saute the leeks in the fat until soft. Add salt to the leeks to get this going. Add the broth and bring to a vigorous boil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the kale and cook until tender. Bring the soup back to a boil, then drizzle the egg mixture into the soup, giving it a minute to set up before stirring to break up the egg strands. The soup will thicken slightly. Serve immediately. If you’re not paleo, a chunk of homemade bread is good with it. Makes 2 servings.