Passatelli in Brodo / Soup
Below you’ll find
STORY - VIDEO - RECIPE - NOTES ABOUT INGREDIENTS - TOOLS NEEDED
Passatelli in Brodo
Why are Passatelli so Good?
Mention Passatelli to someone from Emilia-Romagna, in the north-central region of Italy, and they’ll instantly say, “che buoni!”, so good!. If there ever was a dish that was represents Romagna perfectly, it would be Passatelli in Brodo, which one could translate into Passatelli in Broth (or Soup). I first had Passatelli in Brodo in 1997 made by mother-in-law, who lived in Romagna and instantly fell in love. I had never seen anything like them because my family’s background is from Rome.
What makes Passatelli in Broth so good? After all, it is quite literally only breadcrumbs, grated cheese, eggs and some aromatics cooked in a meat broth. To me its the combination of ingredients; humble ingredients come together to make a very tasty soup that feels like a hug.
In case you are wondering, they are called “Passatelli” because they “pass” through a tool’s little holes that give them their unmistakable shape. Passatelli could be translated as little things that pass, from the Italian verb, passare.
History
The history of Passatelli Soup is not clear nor well documented, but it has definitely been around well before 1891 when Pellegrino Artusi published 2 recipes for Passatelli in his cookbook, “The Science in the Kitchen and The Art of Eating Well”. What most researchers do agree on is that Passatelli originated in the southern area of Emilia-Romagna that borders with the Le Marche region. The people from the towns along the border of the two regions have eaten Passatelli Soup for generations!
While Passatelli have always been considered a humble dish, part of the cucina povera or poor peasant cuisine because its main ingredients are simple and inexpensive, I beg to differ and I will explain why. It is commonly believed that Passatelli were made by peasants with what they had on hand: breadcrumbs from dry bread, some dry cheese made with milk from their cows and fresh eggs from their farm.
Bread was made once a week in the town oven, it lasted several days and depending on the size of the family, each family would make enough so that it would last for a whole week, until the next baking day. If it became dry and hard, it might then be ground up to make breadcrumbs.
As I mentioned earlier, Passatelli are traditionally served in a meat broth made with beef and poultry, aromatic vegetables and bones. Back then, there was always a pot of broth cooking on the fire during winter because many homes did not have any heating (my husband’s friend grew up in such a home!) so a hot broth was a nightly necessity to warm people up in the cool months.
At some point, some aromatics were added: nutmeg and/or lemon zest. Neither of these were inexpensive which is why I have doubts regarding the “humble and poor” version of Passatelli’s history. It is well-documented that nutmeg was an expensive spice that only the wealthy could afford and lemons would have had to be brought in from warmer Italian regions making them unaffordable! Perhaps Passatelli were created by the chef or cook of a wealthy household with the few ingredients he found in the kitchen? Who knows!
Regardless of who invented Passatelli, the fact is that nowadays, nutmeg is fairly inexpensive, and tasty, pesticide-free lemons are fairly easy to find. So nowadays Passatelli are inexpensive to prepare and most of it can be prepared ahead of time (details in recipe below) and cooked right before serving, making it an ideal weeknight dish. You do need a tool to make them, more on that below.
How Passatelli are Served Today
Passatelli were one of those “best kept secret” regional dishes that you might find at a mom and pop trattoria or in someone’s home but that weren’t fancy enough to be served at a fancy restaurant. In fact, it was a dish I’d never seen on any menu outside of the Romagna area until around 2012. Then suddenly, it seemed, Passatelli became trendy; they were everywhere!
Nowadays, you can find Passatelli served in a number of ways, the most popular being served “dry”, in other words, without the broth. As far as I can tell, the changes that have taken place are only in how Passatelli are served so instead of serving Passatelli in a broth, the creative chef serves Passatelli with a sauce. My 4 favorite ways to eat Passatelli (so far) include a Parmigiano cheese sauce, a non-tomatoey seafood sauce, a cream and truffle sauce, and a radicchio and pancetta sauce. All of these sauces, allow the lovely flavor of the Passatelli to shine through. Not to worry, you will still find Passatelli served in their original form, that is, with a beef and hen or capon broth especially in cool weather. It is a beautiful and delicious dish, perfect for special occasions such as Easter Day lunch!
Passatelli Soup Tutorial
RECIPE FOR PASSATELLI
My recipe below is adapted from Pellegrino Artusi’s, “The Science in the Kitchen and The Art of Eating Well”. For best results, read all of my notes and hints before beginning.
I make Passatelli the way my husband’s family taught me using only nutmeg as an aromatic, but closer to the Romagna shore, it is customary to substitute the nutmeg with lemon zest. Some people will put a bit of both in the dough, I suggest you try all 3 versions and decide for yourself which you prefer.
Makes 4 servings
100g Plain breadcrumbs
40g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp Nutmeg or lemon zest, or both! (see notes below)
5g softened butter, optional, which substitutes the bone marrow in the original recipe
2 liters of your favorite clear broth: Chicken, beef, vegetable or a combination.
>See my 30 minute wholesome broth recipe
Method
In a large enough bowl combine about 3/4 of the breadcrumbs and all the other ingredients.
Mix everything very well ; I personally like to use a fork until the eggs are absorbed by the breadcrumbs and then I knead it with my very clean hands.
Continue to knead until you have a smooth and compact ball of dough.
If your dough is sticky, add some breadcrumbs, about 1 teaspoon at a time, and knead some more. Repeat as necessary.
TIP1: The exact amount of breadcrumbs needed will depend on the size of the eggs, large eggs need more breadcrumbs and likewise, small eggs need less. Since every egg is slightly different, it is actually easier to go by feel just like a good Italian nonna (grandma).
Once your ball of dough is compact and smooth, the dough should rest at least 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature.
TIP2: You can keep the dough covered in the refrigerator but be sure to let the dough come back to room temperature before proceeding (about 1 hour), it makes using the tool easier.
TIP3: Cook the passatelli right before eating, as they should not sit in the broth for longer than it takes to eat them as they might get soggy and break.
If using the traditional “ferro”, take about half of the dough and place over a floured surface. Lay the “ferro” tool on top and slowly press down and forward in order to have the passatelli come out of the holes. You can gather the passatelli on a clean tea towel until ready to cook.
If using the ricer, divide the dough in half and put one half into a ricer, close the ricer and press real hard using all your strength. Get a knife, any knife and keep it near you, you’ll need it to cut the noodles from the ricer. Repeat with the other half.
You can gather the passatelli on a clean tea towel until ready to cook or drop them directly into the simmering broth.
Drop the passatelli into the simmering broth and stir. The passatelli are ready when they float, about 1 minute. Serve immediately!
Buon appetito!
A NOTE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
As in all things Italian, given that the ingredients are few, the ingredients have to be the right type.
Breadcrumbs, plain flour, rising agent and water ONLY. So no flavorings and no fats. If fat is used to make the bread, the passatelli will fall apart as they cook. The soup would still be tasty but not what you expected; it would be considered a stracciatella-type soup versus passatelli.
TIP1: To make your own breadcrumbs, put chunks of day-old bread into a blender and whizz it until very fine to get breadcrumbs. Back in grandma’s time, the bread was probably put into a paper bag and hit with a rolling pin to turn it into breadcrumbs.
TIP2: If you are unable to get the right type of bread you could add a teaspoon of plain white flour which will keep the passatelli together. Do not add flour if you do have the right type of bread as the flour will change the flavor of the passatelli a bit.
TIP3 make a tiny ball of dough and drop it into a small pot with simmering water, if it breaks up before it floats, then you should add more breadcrumbs to the mix, (knead and allow the dough to absorb it)
Eggs, it goes without saying, should be fresh eggs.
Fresh nutmeg is essential, not something that has been sitting in your cupboard for years. In addition, you should be able to really taste it so be generous with the nutmeg.
The softened unsalted butter is optional. It replaces the bone marrow in the original recipe, but most people nowadays do not replace the marrow with anything. I find butter makes the dough adds a nice touch.
If you are going to use lemon, make sure it is an untreated/organic lemon, so you don’t eat pesticides!
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard cheese made from cow’s milk: it is dry enough to grate and has a mild taste. Real Parmigiano-Reggiano is never salty.
TIP4: If using unsalted butter, then use a 24 month or older Parmigiano. If using salted butter, opt for a sweeter 12-18month old Parmigiano.
The Broth, always use a simple broth, no herbs or spices otherwise you won’t be able to taste the delicate flavor of the Passatelli. If you don’t have time to make a broth from scratch, it takes 3+ hours using a combination of meats and vegetables, try my 30 minute wholesome vegetable broth recipe.
TOOLS NEEDED
To make Passatelli you will need either the traditional tool, a Ferro, or a ricer with large, 5mm holes. Below I describe the pros and cons of each type and list affiliate links. Affiliate links mean that I will make a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you click them and make a qualifying purchase.
The Ferro
+The Ferro is the easiest to use, you press the tool onto the ball of dough in a down and outwards movement.
-The bad part is that the noodles come out very short, about 2-4cm.
Non-affiliate link to purchase The Ferro
The Ricer
+The ricer is the one I use, it makes beautiful, long passatelli, between 10-15cm. I put half of the dough into the ricer, close it and slide a knife under the ricer when it is empty , thus dropping them directly into the broth (see video).
-the bad part is that I am not strong enough to press the compact dough through the ricer, I usually need my husband to help me squeeze the passatelli out.
+The other advantage of the ricer is that you can also use it for ricing potatoes, whether for gnocchi or mashed potatoes. One tool with more than 1 use; my kind of tool.
Make sure the ricer has holes that are 5mm large, the perfect size for passatelli. I have chosen this ricer because the holes are the correct size for Passatelli: 5mm and because it is Made in Italy by Zaseves even if sold in the USA by a Chinese company.
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