Scrippelle ‘mbusse Soup Recipe

The Fioravanti family has been passing their version of the Italian soup call for generations. I have made a few adaptions and taken the chicken soup portion of the recipe to a new level. This soup is a family tradition at holidays. Scrippelle ‘mbusse is a dish from the Province of Teramo in Abruzzo and literally translates to crêpes in broth. The crêpes soak up the broth and the soup melts the cheese. Traditionally this soup is super simple…my version is an all-day event, but worth it. I make really double batches, so we have extra. We call this recipe Busse for short and have it every year either at Thanksgiving or Christmas or both.

Traditionally there are two components to this dish—the scrippelle, or crêpes, portion and the soup base. I make a third component with a delicious parmesan blend because my life philosophy is that: the meal is over with the cheese is gone. That means you cannot use too much cheese.

Soup Base Recipe

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1 onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
3 fresh chopped sprigs thyme, stems removed
1 tsp. fresh chopped sage + a whole stem
1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary + a whole spring
1 tsp. fresh chopped basil + 4-5 whole leafs
1 tsp. whole peppercorns
½ Tbsp. Pepper
1 rind from Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4-6 garlic cloves
32 ounces Chicken Broth
Salt to taste

Directions

To cook the chicken and create the majority of the broth I toss everything into the pot whole. Add rind from Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, 1/2 of the onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 whole carrot, 1 whole celery stalk, whole peppercorns, 1 sprig of thyme, sage, rosemary and basil, whole raw chicken into pot and cover everthing with water. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat, monitor and flip the chicken at least one, and allow to simmer until chicken is cooked, approximately 40-60 minutes. Set aside.
Transfer the whole chicken to a baking dish to allow to cool for approximately 15-20 minutes. Once cool remove the chicken from the bones and shred chicken into nice bite-size pieces. Discard skin and bones.
Pour the liquid left in the pot through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard vegetables, herbs, cheese rind, and and left over chicken parts. Add shredded chicken back into the liquid.
Chop the remaining onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and remaining garlic and herbs. Cook in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Once cooked add into the pot.
Allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Scrippelle—Crêpe Recipe

Ingredients
6 eggs
2 1/4 cups Water
3 cups Flour

Directions

Whisk flour and eggs together in a large mixing bowl; gradually add water, stirring to combine.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crêpe. As you pour batter into the pan tilt the pan with a circular motion to coat the surface evenly.
Cook 1-2 minutes, until the top of the crêpe starts to not look wet. Using a spatula loosen the crêpe to flip and cook approximaltey 1 minutes until the other side has turned light brown. Stack finished crêpes.
The last step is to fill the crêpes with approximately 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture below and roll them.

Shortcut: This year Selah bought me a crêpe maker and it is greatly simplified this recipe. I highly recommend it!

Cheese Recipe

2 lbs. Parmigiano Reggiano
Black Pepper – to taste

I know that seems like a lot of cheese, but you will use it in the Scrippelle and at the table to sprinkle on top of the hot soup.

To Serve

I bring a plate of Scrippelle to the table, bowls of cheese with pepper, and the big hot pot of soup to the table for everyone to assemble their own bowl. Add 1 to 5 Scrippelle to a bowl, pour soup over top, sprinkle cheese and pepper mixture over top, add more pepper if you like a little bite to your soup.