Grandma’s Passatelli in Broth. A delicious first course of fresh egg pasta typical of Emilian cuisine, cooked in broth. An easy and quick recipe with guaranteed results.
Winter for me is like being inside an extraordinary fairy tale.
The air outside is cool, and what could be better to warm the heart, mind, and stomach after a day of my husband’s work than to find a nice dish of broth with passatelli. A hot dish that helps us combat the chilly temperatures.
These passatelli are characterized by their artisanal preparation, which involves the use of simple yet flavorful ingredients like eggs, Parmigiano Reggiano, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and nutmeg.
The base of the dish is a rich and deep meat broth, in which the passatelli are cooked until soft yet still somewhat firm.
I must tell you that my grandma’s broth was truly special; she used capon from her own coop because she had a chicken coop. She had a wood stove, so the first thing she did in the morning was to put on the broth and let it cook for hours and hours.
With her fresh eggs, she would knead the passatelli, and you can’t imagine the aroma and skill in doing all this by hand; she was very old but truly active.
Passatelli in broth is a comforting dish, balancing the richness of the meat broth with the lightness of the passatelli ingredients.
It is very important to also choose a cheese aged at least 30 months, which gives more flavor and compactness.
There are two schools of thought: those who also add a little flour and those who don’t. How do you prepare yours? Let me know!
Over the years, it has become a festive dish and is historically consumed both in cities and in the countryside on holidays or festive periods, a unique delight that all your diners will love.
Here’s another tasty recipe for broth with stracciatella.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
- Energy 319.82 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 27.93 (g) of which sugars 2.29 (g)
- Proteins 20.14 (g)
- Fat 13.96 (g) of which saturated 7.62 (g)of which unsaturated 5.87 (g)
- Fibers 2.01 (g)
- Sodium 1,507.28 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Grandma’s Passatelli in Broth
- qt meat broth
- 1 ¼ cups g breadcrumbs
- 3 eggs (about 170 g)
- 1 cup g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 2 tsp g all-purpose flour
- Half lemon (zested)
- to taste nutmeg
- salt
Tools
- Potato Ricer
- Bowl
Steps
Grandma’s Passatelli in Broth
Obviously, for making passatelli, we need an excellent meat broth. Find the recipe here.
In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the grated cheese, nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and a bit of grated zest from an organic lemon. It would be good to add a pinch of flour, but just a little, as this helps in cooking.
Add the beaten eggs to the mix.
Knead the ingredients until you obtain a homogeneous and fairly soft dough.
If it turns out too dry and grainy, consider adding another egg or, conversely, if too wet, add more breadcrumbs.
The dough should indeed be soft and compact; otherwise, the passatelli will break during cooking.
At this point, you can let it rest in the fridge for about half an hour wrapped in plastic wrap.
Take a potato ricer, fill it with your dough, and press to create the passatelli. It will be quite tough, and you might need a man’s strength, but that is the correct consistency.Cut them to the length you prefer.
At this point, when your broth has reached a boil, test with a passatello to see if it is the right consistency and does not fall apart during cooking.
Cook them for 2/3 minutes from when they rise to the surface over low heat.
Be careful: the broth should only simmer. Do not stir the pasta while it is cooking, otherwise, it will break. Serve your passatelli in a bowl with plenty of broth; if you like, add a generous sprinkle of grated cheese!
I wish you a Good Appetite!
Tips
Depending on the cheese’s aging and the breadcrumbs and flour’s moisture content, be careful to dose the eggs.
If you don’t have the specific ‘iron’ for passatelli, don’t worry, you can easily use a regular potato ricer.
To prevent the passatelli from falling apart during cooking, besides a balanced recipe, the choice of bread to grate is crucial: it should come from a simple loaf, free of seasoning (oil, butter, lard, etc.). It’s better not to use industrial ones.
I recommend preparing the passatelli and enjoying them immediately. I do not advise preparing them too far in advance or freezing them. If you have leftovers, drain them from the broth and store them in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You can serve them with a dry dressing.
