Imperial soup with vegetable scrap broth

Ingredients

For the broth

2 liters of water
About 1 kg of vegetable scraps (roughly half the weight of the water)
Examples: carrot peels, onion skins, outer leaves of artichokes, celery tops and stems, leek greens, and other trimmings from the fridge.

For the imperial soup base

9 whole eggs
9 egg yolks
400 g stale bread, finely grated
150 g semolina flour
100 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Prepare the broth
Wash the vegetable scraps and chop them roughly. Place in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for about an hour, or until the liquid has reduced by half and the broth is rich and fragrant.
Strain, season with salt, and keep warm.

Prepare the imperial soup base
In a large bowl, mix the whole eggs, yolks, grated stale bread, semolina, Parmigiano, salt, and pepper. Knead by hand until you get a thick, uniform mixture.

Line the base of a steel baking pan (23 × 17 cm, height 2–2.5 cm) with parchment paper, and lightly oil the sides or spray with non-stick coating.

Spread the mixture evenly into the pan, pressing it down firmly to eliminate air pockets—using another tray as a press can help compact it.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at 160°C (320°F) for 20–30 minutes, placing a second tray on top to prevent the surface from browning too much.
Check doneness by inserting a toothpick: it should come out clean.

Let cool completely with the tray still on top. Once cold, unmold and cut into small cubes (0.5 to 1 cm, depending on preference).

To serve
Arrange the soup cubes in a bowl and pour hot broth over them. Let sit for a few seconds to absorb the flavors, then serve immediately.