Tortellini in Brodo - Margaret Johnson
Tortellini is a filled pasta formed in the shape of a female navel. When stuffed with this delicious filling and floating in a delicious broth (brodo), you have one of life’s truly great dishes.
Serves 4
Filling
50 g lean pork, cut into small cubes
50 g lean veal, cut into small cubes
1 tbs butter
3 slices of ham, roughly diced
3 slices mortadella, roughly diced
3 slices prosciutto, roughly diced
50g chicken breast, poached, diced
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly and finely grated
2 eggs
half a nutmeg, freshly grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pasta
2 1/2 cups flour (350g)
3 large eggs
2 litres chicken stock
extra parmesan
To make the filling, lightly fry the pork and veal in the butter and then place in the bowl of a food processor along with all of the other filling ingredients. Process until well blended.
To make the pasta an easy way, place the flour and the eggs in a food processor and process until they resemble beads. Work into a rough mass, wrap in plastic film and place in the fridge for an hour. Remove and work the dough into a smooth ball. Cut it into four and work with one section at a time. Using a pasta machine roll the dough out to the thinnest setting. Cut into 5cm circles. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of each circle, dampen the edges and fold in half to form a semi-circle. Turn the sealed edge back towards the filling to form a cuff and then twist the tortellini around your finger and press the edges together. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling and lay the finished pieces on a tray, covered. To make the soup, heat the stock and add the tortellini. Simmer for eight minutes.
Serve scattered with plenty of extra parmesan
and just a light sprinkle of parsley.
