Italian Wedding Escarole Soup

|This recipe takes all the right shortcuts and none of the wrong ones. We doctor up sweet Italian sausage for the meatballs opt for adding canned beans instead of boiling pasta in a separate pot and still manage to make an uber-flavorful soup without having to call for boxed chicken stock. It's one-pot one-bowl magic.|endive / escarole fennel|500 g sweet Italian sausage100 g panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) divided6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil divided8 garlic cloves dividedCoarse salt1 head of fennel with fronds2 medium onions½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes120 ml dry white wine1 100 g piece Parmesan with rind1 can cannellini (white kidney) beans1 head of escarole|Cut shallow slits in each sausage link then remove sausage from casings; transfer sausage to a medium bowl. Add 75g panko 2 Tbsp. oil and 2 Tbsp. water. Peel and finely grate 1 garlic clove on a microplane into bowl. Season lightly with salt and mix with your hands until breadcrumbs are evenly distributed.Portion meat into small meatballs about 3 cm in diameter (oil your hands to help with rolling if mixture gets sticky) and transfer to a plate.Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add meatballs spacing evenly apart and cook undisturbed until first side is dark brown about 5 minutes. Using tongs turn meatballs and cook until other side is also well browned about 4 minutes. Transfer back to plate and set aside.Remove pot from heat and prep the rest of the soup ingredients: First remove fennel fronds from 1 head of fennel and save for garnishing the soup. Cut fennel head in half lengthwise. Cut a V-shaped notch in each half to remove the core. Place halves cut side down then thinly slice crosswise.Peel and trim 2 onions. Cut in half lengthwise and coarsely chop. Smash 6 garlic cloves (keep remaining clove for the end) and peel.Place Dutch oven back over medium heat and add fennel onion and smashed garlic; season with salt and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes. Cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are golden brown and softened 68 minutes.Stir in the wine and scrape bottom to dissolve any remaining stuck-on browned bits.Add 1.5 L water; season generously with salt. Slice down along Parmesan rind to remove and add to soup; set cheese aside.Bring to a simmer then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered until broth is golden and flavorful 2530 minutes. Season with more salt if needed.Open can of beans and pour into a strainer or small colander. Rinse beans and shake to remove excess water then transfer to pot along with meatballs. Bring back to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally until broth is slightly thickened from beans and meatballs are cooked and have released some of their flavor into the broth 1015 minutes.While soup is simmering separate leaves from head of escarole and rinse to remove any dirt. Tear into small pieces then stir into soup in batches to wilt. Remove soup from heat.Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a small saucepan over medium. Finely grate remaining 1 garlic clove into skillet. Add remaining panko. Season with salt and cook stirring often until panko is golden about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.Prepare your other garnishes: Finely grate about 60 g cheese from reserved hunk of Parmesan (you might not need it all). Finely chop fennel fronds.Taste soup and season with salt if needed. Ladle soup into bowls and top with chopped fronds grated cheese and toasted panko. Buon appetito!|15.00 minutes|8|Bon Appetit