Tortellini in Brodo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large 10-quart stockpot for the broth
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth for straining
• •Meat grinder or food processor
• •Pasta machine or long rolling pin
• •Wooden board for rolling and shaping
• •Sharp knife or pasta wheel
• •Sheet trays for holding finished tortellini

Instructions

1. 1

   Begin the broth

   Place the capon in a large stockpot and cover with cold water by three inches. Bring slowly to a simmer over medium heat. This takes 30 to 40 minutes. Do not rush it. As the water heats, gray foam will rise to the surface. Skim it away with a slotted spoon until the broth remains clear. This patience determines whether your broth will be crystalline or murky.

   Starting with cold water and heating slowly extracts flavor gently and produces clearer broth. A rapid boil clouds the liquid irreparably.
2. 2

   Add aromatics

   When the foam subsides and the broth is clear, add the carrots, celery, onion, tomato, peppercorns, and bay leaf. The tomato adds subtle sweetness and a faint golden color. Adjust heat to maintain the gentlest simmer, with bubbles breaking lazily at one corner of the pot. Cover partially and cook for 3 hours. The meat should be falling from the bones.

3. 3

   Strain and season

   Remove the capon and vegetables. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean pot. You should have about 4 quarts of clear, golden broth. Season with salt to taste. The broth must be well seasoned on its own; it carries the entire dish. Let cool, then refrigerate. The fat will solidify on top. Remove it before reheating.

4. 4

   Prepare the filling meats

   Cut the pork loin into one-inch cubes. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes. The interior should show no pink. Remove and let cool completely.

   The pork must be entirely cool before grinding. Warm meat smears rather than cuts cleanly, producing a paste instead of a proper filling.
5. 5

   Make the filling

   Pass the cooled pork, prosciutto, and mortadella through a meat grinder fitted with the fine disk, or pulse in a food processor until very finely minced but not pureed. Transfer to a bowl. Add the grated Parmigiano, egg, nutmeg, and a pinch of fine salt. Mix thoroughly with a fork until the filling is uniform and holds together when pressed. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

6. 6

   Make the pasta dough

   Mound the flour on a wooden board or clean work surface. Make a well in the center deep enough to hold the eggs. Crack the eggs into the well. Beat the eggs with a fork, gradually drawing flour from the inner walls of the well until a shaggy dough forms. Knead vigorously for 10 minutes, pushing the heel of your hand into the dough, folding, and turning. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and not sticky. If it clings to your hands, add flour sparingly. Wrap in plastic and rest for 30 minutes.

7. 7

   Roll the pasta

   Divide the dough into four pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered. Roll through a pasta machine, starting at the widest setting and progressing to the second-thinnest. The pasta should be translucent enough to see your hand through it. If rolling by hand, roll the dough into sheets as thin as possible. This is not pappardelle. Tortellini require sheets so thin they seem fragile.

   In Emilia, we say the pasta should be thin enough to read a newspaper through. I have seen grandmothers demonstrate this. Do not settle for thick, chewy tortellini.
8. 8

   Cut and fill

   Using a sharp knife or pasta wheel, cut the sheets into 2-inch squares. Place a scant half-teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Fold the square in half diagonally to form a triangle, pressing the edges firmly to seal and expel any air. Air pockets cause tortellini to burst in the broth.

9. 9

   Shape the tortellini

   Hold the triangle with the long edge facing you. Bring the two pointed corners together around your index finger, overlapping them slightly, and press to seal. The filled portion should puff outward. Pull your finger free. The tortellini should resemble a small ring with a peaked cap. Place finished tortellini on a lightly floured tray, not touching. Work quickly; fresh pasta dries fast.

   Legend claims tortellini were modeled after Venus's navel, glimpsed through a keyhole by a lovestruck innkeeper in Bologna. Whether or not this is true, the shape should be elegant and compact, no larger than the tip of your thumb.
10. 10

    Cook and serve

    Bring the strained broth to a gentle simmer. Add the tortellini in batches to avoid crowding. They will sink, then float to the surface within 2 to 3 minutes. Let them cook one minute more after floating. The pasta should be tender, the filling hot through. Ladle into warm shallow bowls, placing 15 to 20 tortellini per serving with abundant broth. Pass grated Parmigiano at the table. Do not add the cheese to the pot; each diner should season their own bowl.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out a capon from a quality butcher if possible. The gelatin from this larger, older bird produces broth with body that chicken cannot match. If unavailable, combine a stewing hen with beef shin bones.
• •The filling should be made the day before and refrigerated. Cold filling holds its shape during the folding process. Room-temperature filling makes shaping nearly impossible.
• •Shape tortellini smaller than you think necessary. They swell during cooking. A tortellini larger than your thumbnail has been made incorrectly.
• •Fresh tortellini can be frozen on trays, then transferred to bags. They cook directly from frozen, requiring only an extra minute in the broth. This allows you to make hundreds at once and serve them for weeks.

Advance Preparation

• •The broth should be made one to two days ahead. Refrigerate, then remove the solidified fat before using. The flavor deepens overnight.
• •The filling can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. It firms as it chills, making it easier to portion.
• •Shaped tortellini can be frozen for up to two months. Freeze on trays until solid, then transfer to freezer bags. Cook directly from frozen.
• •Do not refrigerate shaped tortellini unfrozen for more than a few hours. The moisture in the filling softens the pasta, causing them to stick and tear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)