Simple-Not-Simple Italian Wedding Soup

I haven't been eating out as much lately, which means (happily) that I have been cooking more. Tonight was a simple-not-simple Italian Wedding Soup. It was simple in that tonight all I did was boil some chicken stock with some raw meatballs, broken pieces of pasta, and two bunches of sorrel. It was not-simple in that I had made the meatballs several days earlier and made the stock several days before that. I love it when a soup comes together.

[Two asides about ingredients: 

1, I'm not sure I've ever eaten sorrel before, but I snacked on some raw leaves while making the soup, and it is delicious! With a surprisingly strong citrusy edge, this really makes the soup. 

2, This is the first major dish I made with the bounty from our Mint Creek Farm meat CSA and it may have single-handedly converted me. The meat-flavored elements (broth, meatballs) are fairly simple, but they were surprisingly rich and flavorful -- especially the meatballs, which might be some of the best meatballs I've made, even on this year's meatball-making streak.]

Italian Wedding Soup 

Day 0: Make stock, inspired by Deb. One pound chicken wings, two quarts water, half an old onion sitting in my fridge, one garlic clove, one heaping tablespoon of salt -- all in the crockpot for about 12 hours. Strain, put in snapware, put in fridge.

Day 2: Make meatballs, again inspired by Deb. Half pound ground turkey, half pound ground pork, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup panko, 1/3 cup milk, 1 tbsp salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (I used 1 tsp Penzey's Adobo seasoning, because I was out of onion powder), crushed garlic -- all mixed together in a bowl with a fork. Shape into small balls with a big table spoon, and then refrigerate or freeze until souptime.

Day 5: Make soup. Come home, pour stock (and some boiling water) into pot, start heating. Once it's bubbling, add meatballs, cover and simmer. After about ten minutes, add some pasta (I used the remaining 1/4 box of rotini in the cupboard). After about ten more minutes, test a meatball. Stir in the sorrel and eat.

I wish I could just make soups all winter.