Tortellini in brodo

Cook it at home: Tortellini in brodo, Modena style

Make the broth first: it is half the dish. Roll the pasta thin enough to see your fingers through it, fold the tortellini small, and cook them for only a few minutes. Make the filling the night before so the flavors join.

Pans and tools

• Large stockpot
• Fine sieve
• Meat grinder or food processor
• Rolling pin or pasta machine
• Floured baking tray

You’ll need

• For the broth: 1 capon or large hen, about 3 lb (1.4 kg), cut up
• 1 lb (450 g) beef shank or brisket, on the bone
• 1 onion, peeled
• 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk
• 4 qt (4 l) cold water, kosher salt
• For the filling: 3.5 oz (100 g) pork loin
• 1 tbsp (15 g) butter
• 3.5 oz (100 g) prosciutto crudo, unsmoked, in one slice
• 3.5 oz (100 g) mortadella, in one slice
• 5 oz (150 g) Parmigiano Reggiano, 24 months, finely grated
• 1 egg, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• For the pasta: 2 cups (250 g) 00 flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 large eggs and 1 yolk

Steps

1. Make the broth. Put the capon, beef, onion, carrot and celery in a large pot with the cold water and 1 tbsp salt. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer over medium heat, about 25 minutes. Skim the foam as it rises for the first 20 minutes.
2. Simmer the broth uncovered at the barest bubble for 3 hours, until the capon is falling off the bone and the liquid is golden. Strain through a fine sieve, cool, then lift off the fat. Taste and add salt until it tastes good on its own. You should have about 2.5 qt (2.4 l). Keep the capon and beef for another meal.
3. Cook the pork. Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat and cook the loin for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until it is just cooked through with no pink. Cool completely.
4. Grind the filling. Cut the pork, prosciutto and mortadella into chunks and grind twice through the fine plate of a meat grinder, or process to a smooth paste. Stir in the Parmigiano, egg and nutmeg until it forms a firm, even paste. Cover and chill for 12 hours.
5. Make the dough. Mound the flour on a board, make a well, add the eggs and yolk and whisk with a fork, drawing in flour. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
6. Roll the sfoglia. Working with a quarter at a time and keeping the rest wrapped, roll to about 1 mm, thin enough that you can see your hand through it. Cut into 1.5-inch (4 cm) squares and keep them under a damp towel so they do not dry.
7. Fill and fold. Put a hazelnut-size dab of filling (about 1/2 tsp, 3 g) in the centre of each square. Fold diagonally into a triangle, press the edges to seal with no air pockets, then wrap the long edge around your fingertip and pinch the two ends together. Lay the tortellini on a floured tray in one layer. You should have about 150.
8. Cook and serve. Bring the broth to a simmer. Drop in the tortellini and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and the pasta is tender at the fold. Ladle about 30 per person into hot bowls with plenty of broth, and add a little grated Parmigiano if you like.

Contains: ['gluten (wheat)', 'eggs', 'milk', 'celery'].

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