On the fridge: Even when this Italian soup doesn't go as planned, it's still good
The next time you're frustrated by a dish that doesn't turn out picture-perfect, the proper attitude is: So what? Refer to Exhibit A: a third and rather hurried attempt to re-create the Italian egg drop soup called stracciatella, which has cheese in it but is not to be confused with the Italian buffalo's-milk cheese or the Italian ice cream of the same name ("stracciare" means to rip up; shreds of some kind are involved).
It takes just five or six ingredients to make this quick and healthful soup, but technique is key. You must blend - not whisk - the peppery egg and Parmesan mixture so the yolks and whites marry well without becoming frothy. Then, you must stir the heated, spinach-y broth as you pour in the mixture; the whirl of liquid should lengthen the eggy additions into tender strands that cook almost on contact.
If the broth is too hot or the eggs are overbeaten, you could wind up with a milky-looking brew and more chunky bits of egg white. It might be easier to execute those silky strands if they were just beaten egg, but then the cheese would clump on its own or largely melt from view.
Does the soup we photographed on that particular day taste just as good as the ideal? I can offer an honest affirmative, as I was able to produce the shredded egg-and-cheese effect on the fourth try - and the one after that. Maybe I'll update via Instagram.