We saw these tiny meatballs ready-made and for sale in a butcher’s shop in Scicli. The butcher explained they were for a soup. I thought it sounded delicious. Also in Scicli is La Grotta, a cavedwelling restaurant, where we ate this fabulous soup and begged the owner Angelo for his recipe. This is a meal in its own right, particularly if you serve it with hunks of crusty bread or add 75 g rice or tiny pasta shapes such as stelline, ‘little stars’, to the stock. You can add vegetables if you like, and you can stir in spinach leaves or shredded kale at the end for a green finale.