Tortellini in Brodo

March 14, 2022  •  Pasta & Pizza, Soup

This month marks the fifteenth anniversary of this blog. I always joke that blog years are sort of like dog years, and many people never make it past 5 years of blogging, let alone 15. So I’m kind of proud of that! This blog has sort of become my personal recipe collection after all these years – there are over 1600 posts here of both food and recipes along with food and travels. And that means sometimes it takes me awhile to find the recipe I am searching for.

I had some leftover tortellini in the freezer and while recovering from COVID, needed some comfort food like tortellini in brodo. Do you think I found the recipe? Nope, turns out I never posted this. Which means I don’t quite recall what I put into the tortellini (tortelloni). I think this recipe from Craig Claiborne could come close, as does this one from Food & Wine. Bottom line, you just need to combine some ground meat (pork, veal or a combo and include some chopped prosciutto if you have it) with some fat, some aromatic, and some cheese. You can make your own dough or use wonton wrappers.

The real secret to this being over the top delicious and comforting is to create a VERY rich broth. Homemade is always best in my mind, but regardless, be sure to simmer it down to reduce it so that it’s very rich. (Tip: simmer a Parmigiano rind in the broth while you reduce it for extra flavor.) You just need enough broth to cover the pasta as it cooks. Cook fresh tortellini in the broth for 2-3 minutes or frozen for about 5 minutes. Serve in big soup bowls and sprinkle some grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over the top.