#106: Pasta! Pasta!
Tortellini in Brodo
Rebecca Wilcomb, Gianna
Filling
3 bone-in chicken thighs
10 ounces beef chuck, cut into ½ inch strips
1 pound uncured pork belly, cut into ½ inch strips
1 carrot, cut into 3 pieces
1 rib of celery, cut into 3 pieces
5 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
¾ cup chicken broth
2 eggs
Salt, to taste
Gently poach chicken in 12 cups of water, along with 1/3 of the beef, 1/3 of the
pork, and the carrot and celery. Cook until fork tender. Remove meat from broth
and set aside to cool. Strain broth and set aside.
In a separate pot, cover the rest of the pork and beef with water and gently
poach until fork tender. Remove meat from the pot and set aside to cool. Discard
the poaching liquid.
Once cool, pick the chicken meat and place in a food processor. Pulse in the
food processor until finely minced, but not pasty. Do the same with the beef and
pork. Place all the minced meat in a large bowl and fold in the rest of the
ingredients. Incorporate everything very well and taste for seasoning. Adjust, if
needed. The filling should be highly seasoned with salt, cheese, and nutmeg.
Pasta
Makes 20 portions
1 2/3 cups 00 flour (extra fine, unbleached flour)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pour flour onto a wooden board, make a well in the center and crack the eggs
into the well and add the olive oil. Using a fork, beat the eggs and slowly
incorporate the flour into the eggs until a dough forms. Using your hands, bring
the dough together and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for at least one hour.
Remove the dough from the plastic and cut into quarters. Roll a quarter section
of dough through a pasta machine on the widest setting. Fold the dough into
thirds and repeat several times. Continue to roll the pasta through the machine
while adjusting the settings until you reach the desired thickness. For filled pastas,
the last setting is usually where you want it. The pasta should be thin enough to
see a newspaper through it.
Cut the sheet of dough into one-inch squares and place a small amount of the
filling on each square, approximately ¼ teaspoon of filling. To form the tortellini,
fold the pasta in half to make triangle. Gently press all the air out. Draw the two
corners of the triangle together and press to seal, making a traditional tortellini
shape. It’s important to work quickly so the dough doesn’t dry out. Spritz with
water before forming if needed.
Place the tortellini on a tray in a single layer and either cook and serve
immediately or freeze for about 20 minutes, then transfer to sealable bags. Use
frozen tortellini within one month.
To serve:
Bring the reserved meat broth to a boil and add tortellini. I like to serve about
20-25 tortellini per person. Cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Divide into
bowls with some of the broth and serve with a generous sprinkling of Parmigiano
Reggiano.
