Tortellini in Brodo
Since the weather is still a bit on the cold side, we still need warming dishes such as soups to fill us up and give our bodies the warm nourishment that they need.
Today’s soup in question features fresh pork tortellini that is cooked in a flavorful stock, or brodo, for a simple, rustic, but delicious dish. It’s a great dish to serve on cold days, to someone who is feeling under the weather, and the best part is that the tortellini can be made days in advance, so all you’d need to do is simmer them in the brodo and it’s dinnertime!
Serves 4-5
For the Pasta:
500g of 00 flour or all-purpose flour
5 eggs
For the Filling:
8 ounces of pork loin, cubed
8 ounces of mortadella
3 1/2 ounces of prosciutto
3 1/2 ounces of grated parmesan
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
For the broth and topping
6 cups of chicken stock. (can be homemade or store-bought)
Make the pasta according to the instructions in my ‘How to Make Fresh Pasta’ article (link above)
While the pasta rests, make the filling by placing the pork loin into a food processor then pulsing for about 10-15 times, or until it resembles finely ground pork. Transfer that to a bowl then repeat that process with the prosciutto and mortadella. (It’s best to do the three forms of pork separately to ensure an even grind.)
Once all of the meat is ground, combine with the parmesan, salt, egg, and nutmeg until evenly combined.
Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets and cut it into 1 1/2-inch squares. Take about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling and place it into one of the pasta squares. Fold up the corners and pinch the edges together to squeeze out the air. Wrap the ends of the pasta around your finger, then pinch them together, and that’s your tortellini. Repeat this until you’ve used up all your pasta and/or filling.
Bring chicken the stock to a boil. Tase it and add salt if needed, although keep in mind the tortellini filling is quite punchy. Working in batches, cook the tortellini for about 3-4 minutes, or until they bob to the surface of the stock and the filling is fully cooked. Drain with a slotted spoon immediately. (It would be best to cut into one to ensure doneness.)
To serve, spoon the tortellini into the bottom of serving bowls, add plenty of that delicious stock. There is a ton of flavor and salt packed into the tortellini filling, so there’s actually no need to top this soup with grated parm.
It amazes me that in our modern day with all sorts of fancy techniques, gadgets, and chemicals, we can still get back to our roots with simple, comforting dishes such as this. That punchy pork filling has a good deal of salt that is satisfyingly balanced with the pasta and the broth, and it’s a dish I can see myself making next winter.
