So many of my favorite dishes are connected to memories from years ago, if not decades ago, and this is one of them. My son always loved a good meatball soup, and when Wolfie was a little boy and I didn’t feel like cooking, I opened a can of Progresso Chickarina soup. It’s regarded by many as the greatest tasting soup ever sold in a can, right up there next to Campbell’s classic tomato soup. Years ago the grocery stores in my neighborhood quit carrying the chickarina soup, which led me on a quest to make my own—and all I can say is thank goodness I set out on that journey. The meatballs are the key to my version; they’re tiny and sticky and decidedly unlike those you’d make for spaghetti and meatballs or turkey meatball soup. They have a unique consistency, enabling them to cook differently in the chicken broth. They end up as tasty little puffs. And yes, this requires an investment in time, mostly to make the meatballs. But it’s worth the wait. This is comfort food at its finest—a perfect call for lunch or dinner on the coldest day of the year. Or take it in a thermos on an outdoor adventure—a widemouthed thermos, of course.