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Passatelli in brodo
Breadcrumb and cheese strands in broth
Passatelli: Romagna's breadcrumb, egg and cheese strands in a clear vegetable broth
ItalianPassatelli were born in Romagna kitchens as a way to turn stale bread into a feast: breadcrumbs, eggs and plenty of hard cheese, scented with lemon and nutmeg, pressed through a special perforated iron straight into simmering broth. Around Rimini, Cesena and Forlì they are Christmas and Sunday food, served steaming in deep plates. The strands are soft, slightly rough and full of cheese flavour. Traditionally the broth is made with capon or beef; here a rich vegetable broth keeps it vegetarian. Chef's tip: no passatelli iron? A potato ricer with large holes does the job; just cut the strands to 4 cm with a knife as they come out.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the passatelli
- 3 ½ oz fine dry breadcrumbsfrom day-old white bread
- 3 ½ oz Parmigiano Reggianograted; usually made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese if you prefer, plus extra to serve
- 3 eggslarge
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp lemon zestfinely grated
- 1 pinch salt
For the broth
- 6 ¼ cups rich vegetable stockhomemade if possible
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 3 ½ oz fine dry breadcrumbs, 3 ½ oz Parmigiano Reggiano, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp lemon zest and 1 pinch salt in a bowl.
Step 2: Add 3 eggs and work everything into a firm, slightly sticky dough. Common mistake: a soft dough; it falls apart in the broth. If it sticks to your hand, knead in another spoon of breadcrumbs.
Step 3: Wrap and rest for 20 minutes so the crumbs soak up the egg.
20 minStep 4: Bring 6 ¼ cups rich vegetable stock to a gentle simmer in a wide pan over a medium heat. Taste and season it well.
Step 5: Press walnut-sized pieces of dough through a passatelli iron or a ricer with large holes, holding it over the pan and cutting the strands to about 4 cm.
Step 6: Simmer for 2–3 minutes, until the passatelli rise to the surface. Don't stir hard, or they break.
3 minStep 7: Turn off the heat and rest for 1 minute. Ladle into warm bowls with 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and more cheese.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does passatelli in brodo take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of fine dry breadcrumbs?
- Crushed crackers or cornflakes, same amount.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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