Alex Guarnaschelli's recipes for Italian wedding soup, chocolate nut biscotti

As leaves change colors to autumnal hues and temperatures drop, prompting people to reach for cozy sweaters, nothing says fall comfort food like some delicious homemade Italian American classics.

In her new cookbook, "Italian American Forever" that hits bookstores Tuesday, chef Alex Guarnaschelli shares 120 classic Italian American recipes for "stuff you really want to cook and stuff you really want to eat" that she said take you to the nostalgia of a red sauce joint.

The celebrity chef and Food Network personality joined "Good Morning America" to kick off the cookbook launch and shared two recipes from her newest title.

Check out both full recipes below to make at home this fall.

Italian Wedding Soup

Serves 4 to 6

"This recipe has many personal touches: The veal and chicken base I got from my mother; studding the chicken with a couple of cloves to add a special warm flavor I learned from making chicken stock at Guy Savoy in Paris; and most of all, the meatballs I inherited from my parents. It’s a hybrid of a stock and a broth (flavor from cooking meat in the liquid), and while the techniques I call on are from my time working in French kitchens, the DNA of this soup is all about my mom’s Italian cooking from Massachusetts."

Ingredients
Broth
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch rounds
2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 whole cloves
1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Meatballs
8 ounces (1/2 pound) ground veal
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

To finish
4 sprigs fresh basil, stemmed
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Directions

To make the broth: In a pot large enough to hold the chicken, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables become translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
Push the whole cloves into one of the chicken thighs and add it to the pot, along with the thyme and 6 cups water. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim the surface with a ladle as impurities rise. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, then reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the thickest part of a chicken thigh reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the juices at the thigh joint run clear, 50 to 55 minutes.

To make the meatballs: Spread the veal across the bottom and sides of a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Add the egg and use your hands to blend the ingredients. Roll into meatballs about the size of small cherry tomatoes. (Note: Imperfectly rolled meatballs actually make this soup more homey and “real.”) Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Finish the chicken: After about 45 minutes at a gentle simmer, taste the chicken broth and adjust the seasoning. Use a large spoon and a pair of tongs to transfer the chicken to a baking sheet or other flat surface and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Take the breast and thigh meat off the chicken, taking care there are no bones, and break into bite-size pieces.

Cook the meatballs: Drop the meatballs into the soup and bring it back up to simmer. Allow it to simmer gently until the meatballs cook through, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the basil. Return the chicken meat to the soup and taste for seasoning. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the vinegar.

Chocolate Nut Biscotti

Makes 24 to 30

"This is chocolate biscotti from all angles; it has pieces of chocolate with cocoa powder and even coffee in the batter to make a deliciously bitter and super chocolatey cookie that rises above most other biscotti, which can often taste dull and stale. Biscotti comes from “bis” meaning twice/two, and “cotti” meaning cooked/baked. Baking, slicing, and then baking a second time give the cookies their simple name. I also find them to be the perfect amount of dessert after a big meal, just a little nibble of something sweet. In Italy, biscotti are often served alongside a sweet wine like vin santo. I like them with piping hot coffee and tea, too."

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Zest from 1 small lemon
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter, and lemon zest together on medium speed until combined and slightly fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs and the egg white, one by one, with the mixer on the same speed, taking care to fully incorporate one before adding another, until fully mixed. Slow the mixer to medium-low speed and blend in the corn syrup, coffee, and the vanilla and almond extracts. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently stir in the dry ingredients, the chocolate, and walnuts.

Form and bake the dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and use your hands to roll it into a log 10 to 12 inches long. Gently transfer the log to the lined baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes; the outside should be lightly browned and the dough should feel firm to the touch. Transfer to the flat surface and cool for only 10 minutes.

Slice the log: With a serrated knife, cut the log into half-inch-thick slices, using a sawing motion so the cookies don’t break. Arrange the biscotti on the baking sheet in a single layer but close together. Bake again: Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake the biscotti until browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool. Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Tips: Sometimes I don’t bake these cookies for a second time and enjoy them somewhat moist and cakey.

“Reprinted with permission from Italian American Forever: Classic Recipes for Everything You Want to Eat: A Cookbook by Alex Guarnaschelli. Copyright © 2024 by Alexandra Guarnaschelli. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Johnny Miller. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.”

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