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homemade tortellini in brodo (tortellini alla Bolognese) swimming in a glistening homemade stock

Authentic Italian Tortellini Soup Made 100% From Scratch


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  • Author: Kelly
  • Total Time: 8 hours 49 minutes
  • Yield: 16 Servings (about 240 medium-sized tortellini) or 2 1/2 pounds 1x

Description

This homemade tortellini recipe is 100% made from scratch and it’s easier to prepare than you might think (especially filling and folding them). “Tortellini in brodo” or little meat and cheese stuffed pasta cooked in homemade broth is one of Bologna Italy’s most iconic pasta dishes along with Bolognese ragù, and lasagna Bolognese. You’ll just need to set aside ample time to prepare them. This traditional Emilian tortellini consists of three components: fresh egg pasta, pork and Parmigiano-Reggiano filling, and meat broth (brodo).

The below instructions reflect how to make COOKED PORK TORTELLINI FILLING because this is our favorite as compared to the raw pork filling. You’ll find the instruction for the RAW PORK FILLING in the recipe notes below.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Tortellini Dough (pasta fresca) 

  • 14 ounces Italian 00 Flour (about 4 scant cups of flour) (400g)
  • 4 large eggs (200g)

For the Tortellini Filling

  • 3 1/2 ounces raw pork (preferably shoulder or neck) (or pork loin) (100g)
  • 6 ounces Prosciutto di Parma (175g) (sub high-quality San Daniele or other prosciutto crudo)
  • 6 ounces Mortadella di Bologna (175g) (sub-high-quality Italian Mortadella from another region)
  • 7 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (preferably 25 or 30-month), finely grated (225g) (sub high-quality Grana Padano DOP)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (40g)
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
  • 3 fresh garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 large egg (50g)
  • freshly grated whole nutmeg, to taste (about 20 to 30 quick bursts on a Microplane)
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste (optional)

For the Tortellini Broth (Brodo di Tortellini)

  • 1 pound of beef preferably bone-in or with added bones (short rib, brisket, or flank)
  • 1/4 of an Italian capon (or free-range or regular chicken)
  • 1 medium onion, halved
  • 1 medium carrot, quartered
  • 1/2 rib of celery, halved
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning(4g)
  • 1/2 inch piece of whole cinnamon stick (not traditional but Mama Anna’s secret Italian ingredient – highly recommended)
  • rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (not traditional but highly recommended)
  • 1 gallon of water (5 liters)

To Serve the Tortellini

  • freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional

FYI, homemade tortellini filling has a slightly more “rustic” texture than that of the super smooth commercial tortellini filling found at the grocery store as those often include bread crumbs (possibly soaked in milk) to help with texture. 


Instructions

FOR THE COOKED PORK TORTELLINI FILLING (can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated or even frozen for up to 1 month)

  1. Season the raw pork. Season the pork (shoulder, neck, or loin) with salt (and black pepper if desired) and place the rosemary and smashed garlic directly on top. Cover it and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to permeate the pork.
  2. Make the COOKED PORK FILLING.  Remove the pork from the refrigerator and chop it into cubes. Place the rosemary, garlic, and 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sauté the herbs over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the garlic and rosemary are both toasted and golden brown but not burnt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pork and sauté just until the meat is cooked through. Turn off the heat and remove the mixture to a plate and allow it to cool, then remove the garlic and rosemary setting them aside (do not discard the rosemary). Add the prosciutto and mortadella to the bowl of a food processor and process to a fine paste. Add the cooked pork along with the flavored butter to the prosciutto and mortadella mixture, and process until smooth. Add one egg, a good pinch of salt, and about 1/2 of the crispy rosemary (or more or less to taste), and process until the mixture is smooth and no whole rosemary pieces remain. Add the grated Parmigiano cheese and freshly grated nutmeg to taste and process the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until it is one cohesive mixture. The filling will be sturdy (easily pinchable). If desired, you may add 2 to 4 tablespoons of broth to the mixture to help loosen it up a bit but this is (optional). Heat the skillet back up and cook a small piece of filling so you can do a taste test to see if you need to add more salt, nutmeg, or rosemary. Adjust seasonings if necessary, massage the mixture with your hands for a couple of minutes, wrap it, and refrigerate it for 24 hours (or at least overnight). 

FOR THE PASTA FRESCA (FRESH EGG PASTA) (can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated)

  1. Make the dough. Add the flour to a countertop or large bread bowl and make a “well” in the middle. Add the cracked eggs to the center and begin agitating the eggs to combine them with the flour being sure to keep them in the center of the “well”. Work in a circular motion incorporating more flour into the center until the mixture is combined and forms a shaggy, stiff dough. *Alternatively, you may place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and knead them on medium speed for 5 minutes using the dough hook or into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade and pulse until the mixture is combined. 
  2. Knead the dough. Form the dough into a ball and remove it to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough by hand turning it clockwise a quarter turn and repeating until the dough becomes soft and pliable, or about 15 minutes. It should be much smoother and somewhat elastic at this point. *Alternatively, you may knead the dough using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment for 10 to 12 minutes on medium-low speed (speed #2 on a KitchenAid). 
  3. Rest the dough. Cover the dough with sustainable plastic wrap, or simply cover it with a small bowl turned upside down and allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. This step is essential for the dough (specifically the gluten network formed during the kneading process) to have time to relax making it easier to roll out and help create that springy “bite” we love about good pasta. 
  4. Roll out the dough. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and work with one piece at a time covering one piece so it doesn’t dry out.  Press down to form a disc just thin enough to be fed through the pasta machine’s widest setting (0). Feed the dough through the rollers while turning the crank. Lightly dust both sides of the pasta sheet with flour and fold it like a letter (bringing in the two ends to the middle) to form a more even rectangle. Feed the pasta sheet back through the rollers on (0) until it is long and rectangular in shape. Cut the pasta sheet in half and dust each piece lightly with flour. Set the adjustment knob to 1 and pass the pasta sheet through one time. Set the adjustment knob to 2 and pass the pasta sheet through one time. Set the adjustment knob to 3, pass the pasta sheet through one time, and continue on adjusting the knob setting and passing the dough through until you’ve reached the desired thickness (the recommended thickness setting is number 6).
  5. Cut the squares of pasta and fill the tortellini. Working with one of the 4 pieces of dough at a time (keep the remaining dough covered so it doesn’t dry out), cut 1 1/4-inch (3cm) squares of pasta (or larger if desired) and add about 1/4 teaspoon of filling to the middle of each square (the filling should be about the size of a pea for authentic tiny tortellini). Repeat with all the squares which will help keep the dough moist while you’re folding and sealing them. Fold each tortellini into a triangle, press out any air around the filling, fold the tip of the triangle down, bring the two other points together overlapping them to create the typical tortellini shape, and press firmly to seal. Place filled tortellini onto a parchment-lined tray while you finish filling the rest. Allow the filled tortellini to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes or so before cooking or pop them into the freezer. Once completely frozen, place them into an airtight container or freezer bag until ready to cook. If you’re cooking the tortellini right away, 

FOR THE BROTH (can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated or even frozen for up to 3 months)

  1. Make the tortellini broth (brodo). Add all of the broth ingredients to a pressure cooker, close the lid, and bring it to high pressure. Once high pressure is reached, cook the broth for 45 minutes and allow for a natural release (which will give you a clear broth). Strain the solids reserving the meat for another use and pour the broth back into the pot and season with salt to taste (and skim off any fat if desired). *Alternatively, you may add all of the ingredients to a large stock pot or dutch oven, bring it to a boil, cover, reduce it to a simmer and cook for 3 hours.

Notes

  • I highly recommend using a scale and the gram measurements provided to make the pasta dough and the tortellini filling if you have one.
  • When folding the tortellini, be sure to press out any air around the filling before folding and shaping it because air bubbles can cause the pasta to burst while cooking.
  • If using a Mortadella with peppercorns in it be sure to remove them all and discard them. You may also remove the pistachios if the mortadella contains them (since this is not “authentic”), but I usually don’t bother. 
  • Tortellini filling can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to one month. 

HOW TO MAKE [RAW PORK] TORTELLINI FILLING

(can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated or even frozen for up to 1 month)

  1. Season the raw pork. Season the pork (shoulder, neck, or loin) with salt (and black pepper if desired) and place the rosemary and smashed garlic directly on top. Cover it and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to permeate the pork.
  2. Make the RAW PORK FILLING. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and add the rosemary, garlic, and 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter to a skillet. Sauté the herbs over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the garlic and rosemary are both toasted and golden brown but not burnt. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool then remove the garlic and rosemary and set aside. Add the prosciutto and mortadella to the bowl of a food processor and process to a fine paste. Grind the raw pork (shoulder, neck, or loin) using the Kitchen Aid food grinder attachment, or other food grinder and add it to the prosciutto and mortadella mixture, and process until smooth. *Alternatively, add chopped raw pork directly to the bowl of the food processor with the ground prosciutto and mortadella and process until a smooth paste-like consistency is reached. Add one egg, the cooled rosemary-garlic flavored butter, a good pinch of salt, and about 1/2 of the crispy rosemary (or more or less to taste), and process the mixture until smooth and no whole rosemary pieces remain. Add the grated Parmigiano cheese and freshly grated nutmeg to taste and process the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until it is one cohesive mixture. The filling will be sturdy and you may even add 2 to 4 tablespoons of broth to the mixture if desired (optional). Heat the skillet back up and cook a small piece of filling so you can do a taste test to see if you need to add more salt, nutmeg, or rosemary. Adjust seasonings if necessary, massage the mixture with your hands for a couple of minutes, wrap it, and refrigerate it for 24 hours for best results (or at least overnight). 
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Rest Time: 8 hours
  • Cook Time: 4 minutes
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Fill & Boil
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 15 tortellini
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