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    4. Cut the cabbage into 1-inch pieces. Coarsely chop the escarole and spinach leaves. Add the sliced sausage, cabbage, escarole, broccoli, spinach, and bay leaves. Return to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the cabbage is tender, about 25 minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer until heated through.
    5. Discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

Pasta Fagioli
MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Italian cooks know how to stretch their money. I was told that this wonderful bean and macaroni soup uses short pasta because the broken bits of the long varieties were sold at bargain prices. Everyone knows this by its name in Neapolitan dialect, pronounced “pasta faz-ool.” Years ago, a couple of regular customers returned from a trip to Italy and were excited to tell us about a great soup they had eaten called “pahs-tah fah-gee-oh-lee,” which is the textbook pronunciation. Nobody knew what the heck they were talking about until we wrote it down on paper.
    8 ounces small pasta shells or any small pasta for soup
    ¼ cup olive oil
    1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onions
    1 garlic clove, minced
    3 cups Tomato Sauce
    2 cups Chicken Stock or reduced-sodium store-bought chicken broth
    One 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
    1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the shells and cook according to the package directions until tender. Drain and set aside.
    2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
    3. Stir in the tomato sauce, stock, and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 4 minutes.
    4. Stir in the cooked pasta and parsley and cook just until the pasta is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Peas and Macaroni Soup
MAKES 6 SERVINGS

My Aunt Anna loved this soup. If your kitchen is reasonably well stocked (and in most Italian American kitchens, prosciutto is a staple), then you can make this soup in a few minutes. But, she also did a variation with lots more pasta (usually broken linguine) cooked for about 30 minutes or so until the pasta was very thick and soft.

    4 ounces small soup for pasta, such as tubetti or small shells
    ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
    2 medium scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
    ½ cup ¼-inch dice prosciutto
    4 cups Chicken Stock or reduced-sodium store-bought chicken broth
    2 cups fresh or frozen peas
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.
    2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring often, until its fat is translucent, about 5 minutes.
    3. Add the stock, peas, and pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and partially cover the pot. Simmer until the soup is thick and the pasta is soft, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

Chicken Stock
MAKES ABOUT 3 QUARTS

My grandfather never would have used canned chicken broth, and we make our stock from scratch. But I wonder if he tried some of the canned broths today if he would feel the same way, so feel free to use your favorite reduced-sodium brand in these recipes, if you wish. Here’s how to make a big batch of chicken broth—make room in the freezer for a couple of quarts.

    3 pounds chicken backs and wings
    3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
    1 medium