Passatelli

Passatelli in Brodo

Passatelli are a traditional Italian pasta from Emilia-Romagna (especially Modena and Bologna), made from breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano and lemon zest, then poached in a rich capon or beef brodo.

Prep

20 min

Cook

10 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz) fine dried breadcrumbs, from day-old country-style bread, finely crumbled
• •120 g (1 cup) Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, Authentic; do not substitute Grana Padano or pre-grated cheese
• •3 whole (3 large) eggs, room temperature; cook until 75 °C (165 °F) internal in the brodo, fully set
• •2 whole egg yolks
• •1 whole untreated lemon, zest only, unwaxed; the zest is essential to the flavor
• •1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• •fine sea salt, to taste
• •freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• •1.5 L (6 cups) capon or beef brodo, homemade preferred; keep at a steady gentle simmer — not a rolling boil — before adding passatelli
• •20 g (¼ cup) additional Parmigiano-Reggiano, to serve

Steps

1. 1 In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir in the lemon zest, nutmeg, a generous pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper.
2. 2 Add the 3 whole eggs and the 2 yolks to the bowl and mix first with a fork, then by hand, kneading until you get a smooth, moist but firm dough that holds its shape when pressed. The texture should resemble soft pollogno — sticky enough to hold together but not wet; if too dry add 1 teaspoon warm brodo, if too wet add a little more breadcrumbs. Rest the dough for 15 minutes covered.
3. 3 Bring the brodo to a gentle, steady simmer in a wide pot (a rolling boil will break the passatelli).
4. 4 Lightly flour a clean work surface with breadcrumbs (do not use flour — it changes the texture). Roll or pat the dough into logs about 1 cm (½ inch) thick.
5. 5 Cut each log into short pieces about 3–4 cm long (about 1½ inches). Traditional method: pass each piece between two hands or through a `ferro per passatelli` for the ridged effect; a coarse-holed box grater or pressing through a cookie press also works for a home kitchen.
6. 6 Slip the passatelli into the simmering brodo in batches, giving them room to swell. Poach for about 3–4 minutes; they are done when they float to the surface and feel firm to the bite with no raw, wet center (internal temperature ~75 °C / 165 °F, fully set eggs).
7. 7 Ladle the passatelli and brodo into warmed shallow bowls and finish with extra grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.