Tasty passatelli

Italian cuisine is known throughout the world thanks to its genuine and richly scented flavours. The imagination and possible combinations that the cradle of the Mediterranean diet preserves are an invaluable asset both for experts in the field and for those who improvise as chefs.

When it comes to fresh egg pasta, one must take inspiration from the region most skilled in processing the food: Emilia Romagna . Passatelli , in fact, are a typical dish of these places which, served in broth, can warm up the coldest and most humid evenings.

A tasty broth

To prepare a perfect meat - or vegetable - broth you need to rely fully on family traditions.

Every woman of the house hides a little secret that she jealously guards and chooses to pass on only when strictly necessary.

Precisely for this reason there are many versions that take inspiration from the flavors of the garden and the wise advice of the master butcher. Among the lesser-known - and most delicious - secrets is the use of osso bucco during cooking : here's how to give an increase in flavor and a suggestive touch to your meat broth!

Ingredients for (approximately) 1 liter of broth

• 400 grams of ossi bucco (from our Bovì Box )
• 400 grams of beef tenderloin (from our Bovì Box )
• 500 grams of real
• 100 grams of white onions
• 60 grams of celery
• 100 grams of carrots
• 4 liters of water
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves
• a pinch of pepper
• salt to taste (only at the end of cooking to adjust the flavor)

Method

The preparation of meat broth is very simple: you start by carefully washing the vegetables and removing the inedible parts. Then proceed with drying everything and cutting into coarse pieces .

In a non-stick pan, add the extra virgin olive oil and the vegetables, leave to brown for a few minutes and until they are golden. In a large pan, place 3 liters of water, the meat, cloves and a pinch of pepper.

Leave to simmer for at least two hours , until the broth is reduced to about half. Then add the fourth liter of water and wait another hour.

The foam that will form on the surface is caused by impurities and fat eliminated by cooking. Remove it and continue cooking. To separate the tasty broth from the meat, use a sieve and filter everything.

Lacks salt? This is the moment to adjust the flavor .

Now the meat broth is ready to be used... The passatelli are perfect!

The meat used can be brought to the table with mustard or mayonnaise, so as to have a second course that is also traditional: boiled meat .

Extra advice: the meat broth can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days or you can freeze it using the silicone ice lolly molds used in summer, ready to use for the next recipe.

Grandma's Passatelli

The green hills, the mist that turns into dew, expanses of cultivated fields: it's time for passatelli.

The dish recalls the housewives of the past who, gathered in large spaces used as kitchens, prepared - rigorously in series like an assembly line - healthy and simple foods that guaranteed flavor and aromas. Today, to replicate this atmosphere you need to arm yourself with patience and rediscover the pleasure of manual work . Ready? Street!

Ingredients

• 120 grams of grated stale bread
• 120 grams grated cheese
• 3 eggs (medium sized)
• ½ organic lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• salts just enough
• 1 liter of beef broth - or three popsicles of frozen meat broth

Necessary

• pan
• terrine
• pastry board
• rolling pin
• White flour
• tool for passatelli

Method

Heat the broth in a high-sided pan. Shift your attention to the preparation of passatelli: grate the zest of the organic lemon , being careful not to cut too deeply - avoid the white part which is bitter.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and add the breadcrumbs , the grated cheese, the nutmeg , a pinch of salt and finally the previously prepared lemon zest. Using a spatula first and then your hands, mix everything until you obtain a homogeneous and elastic mixture .

Wrap everything in cling film and leave to rest in a dry place for at least 2 hours.

Subsequently, place the dough in the center of the pastry board and using the traditional iron, form the passatelli: flatten the dough and drag it , in this way the stretched dough will come out of the holes.

Adjust to a length of about 4 cm and place them on a lightly floured flat plate. Increase the heat of the broth and when it has reached the boil, immerse the passatelli, as soon as they have risen to the surface, plate and bring to the table.