Tortellini in Brodo (Tortellini in Broth, Bologna-Style)

• portionen: 12 servings

Zutaten

Meat or Capon broth, see note

For the filling:

30 grams (1 oz/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1/2 cup dry white wine

meat broth, if needed (not more than 1/4-1/3 cup)

1 generous pinch coarse sea salt

freshly ground black pepper, optional

100 grams (3.5 oz) pork, preferably shoulder or neck

150 grams (5.25 oz) Prosciutto di Parma, roughly chopped

200 grams (7 oz) mortadella, roughly chopped

1 egg

100 grams (3.5 oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (aged 30-36 months), or more to taste

3 g (1 teaspoon) fine sea salt, or to taste

For the pasta:

400 grams (14 oz/scant 4 cups) 00 flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra if needed

4 eggs

To serve:

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated (optional)

Anweisungen

For the filling:

Cut the pork into large chunks. Cook over low heat in the butter with a nice pinch of coarse sea salt and, if desired, black pepper. Cover with a lid and stir occasionally. Once the pork has lost its pink color and all of its liquid has evaporated, add the white wine. Simmer until the alcohol has cooked away (it should smell sweet) with the lid askew. If your pork is not fully cooked, add some broth if needed. Take care not to overcook the meat. Turn off the heat and let cool.

If using a food processor:

Place the cooled pork (keeping the remaining liquid aside), Prosciutto di Parma, and mortadella in your food processor and pulse until you reach a pate-like consistency. Add the mixture to a large bowl and add the egg, a generous amount of freshly grated nutmeg, and lastly the cheese. Blend thoroughly with your hands and add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture seems a little dry. It needs to be soft but not too soft or it will be difficult to work with. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. (You should need about 3 g (1 teaspoon) of salt.) The filling needs to be highly seasoned. Wrap tightly and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight. It can be made 1-2 days in advance or frozen.

If using a meat grinder:

Grind the prosciutto through your meat grinder 2 times. Place in a bowl.

Put the mortadella through the meat grinder once. Place it in the bowl with the prosciutto.

Place the cooled pork that you've cubed through the grinder once without any juices and another time with some of the cooking juices. Add it to the bowl with the other meat.

Next, add the egg, nutmeg, and lastly, the cheese and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Add more cooking juices if the mixture seems dry. Usually, you will need approximately 3 g (1 teaspoon) of salt. The filling needs to be highly seasoned. Wrap tightly and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight. It can be made 1-2 days in advance or frozen.

For the pasta:

Prepare the pasta dough. Place the flour on a clean work surface and form a well in the center by creating a circular wall of flour with enough space in the center to hold the eggs. Crack the eggs into the well and start beating them with a fork, adding the flour bit by bit in a circular motion from the surrounding wall of flour to create a smooth dough that is moist, yet firm, and not sticky. Once you’ve incorporated all of the flour into the eggs, gently knead the dough until it’s very smooth, pliable, and doesn’t stick to your hands. It should take about 8-10 minutes. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.

Next, roll out the dough. If doing it by hand, use a long rolling pin to roll the dough until very thin.

If rolling it out by pasta machine, divide the dough into 6 pieces, covering those not in use to prevent drying and crust formation. Flatten each piece, rolling it with a pin in order to get it thin enough to run it through the machine. Sprinkle very lightly with flour if needed, and run it through the #1 setting once, then proceed, narrowing the setting each time until you get to the 2nd to last setting. Handle with care, using as little flour as possible to prevent the dough from drying out. (I would start with the second to last setting and decide if you want it thicker or thinner the next time.)

Form the tortellini:

Cut the dough into 3 cm (1 1/4-inch) squares using a pasta bike cutter, pizza wheel, or knife.

Remove the filling from the refrigerator and grab a handful of dough. Form a thin rope of filling with your hands, about 8 mm (1/3-inch) thick. Place any filling not in use back into the refrigerator to keep it cold.

Working quickly, place a small nugget of filling in the center of each square, about the size of a hazelnut.

Once you've filled all of the squares, cover the area you are not working with a plastic cover or a damp, clean kitchen towel.

To form a tortellino, carefully enclose the filling with your pasta square forming a triangle with the tip facing upwards. Seal the top of the triangle first and carefully seal the sides, pressing very firmly while not letting any filling escape. If your dough is nice and pliable, you should be able to stretch your dough over your filling to enclose it all. Next, fold the corners of the base towards you on each side. Hold one corner with your thumb and index finger. Your thumb should be on the outside of the triangle base and your index finger holding on the corner on the inside, seal the two points together, squeezing very hard. This will ensure that your sealed area stays closed and cooks evenly with the rest of the pasta. While you do this, your index finger will push up on the pasta filling making it nice and plump. Proceed until all of your tortellini are formed. Let them air dry on a rack or sheet tray lined with a kitchen towel and continue until you've used all of your dough and filling.

To serve:

When ready to cook your tortellini, bring your broth to a boil and check for seasoning. Gently place your tortellini in the broth and delicately stir once or twice. Once the tortellini float to the top (this should take 3-4 minutes, or if frozen, you might need an extra minute or two), turn off the heat immediately, place the lid on top and let sit for 1 minute. This will allow the pasta to soak up the delicious broth. You'll know it has sat long enough when the pasta looks wrinkled. Serve right away and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired. (Some are against it.) Alternatively, if you are going to serve your Tortellini in Brodo a soup tureen, place the tortellini and broth in the tureen immediately after they float, wait one minute, and serve.

Nährwertangaben

• Kalorien: 200
• Gesamtfett: 20 g