Growing Chefs! Ontario Tortellini in Brodo

Tortellini in Brodo

Tortellini in Brodo is a very classic Bolognese pasta dish which was traditionally served at Christmas. This tortellini filling can be time consuming to make, so the filling can be made the day before. If you are making a big batch, the tortellini and broth freeze beautifully
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
Serves 10 to 12

For the Filling:

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter1/2 cup dry white wine100 grams pork shoulder, diced150 grams Prosciutto di Parma, roughly chopped200 grams mortadella, roughly chopped1 egg1/2 teaspoon nutmeg100 grams Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Pepper to taste Salt to taste

For the Pasta:

Ingredients
400 grams 00 flour, plus extra if needed4 eggs

To Serve:

Ingredients
2 litres pork broth Parmesan cheese to taste
Equipment
Measuring spoonsMeasuring cupsMixing bowls of various sizesWooden spoonLarge potCutting boardChef's knifeFood processorPasta rollerTasting spoonsPlastic wrapPizza cutterForkStrainerDish towel

Get Organized!

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

Cut the pork shoulder into 2 centimetre pieces.

Grate the parmesan cheese.

Roughly chop the prosciutto and the mortadella.

Crack open the eggs.

Measure out butter, wine, and flour.

Get Cooking!

Add the pork shoulder into a large pot with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Saute until browned on all sides, and add the white wine to the pan. Cook uncovered until pork is cooked through, adding a bit of broth or water if needed.

Let pork cool, and add it to a food processor with prosciutto, mortadella, parmesan, nutmeg, and egg. Blend until meat makes a fine paste. Season with salt to taste. Set aside in the refrigerator until pasta is ready to make.

To make the pasta, place flour on a clean surface and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs, and slowly start to incorporate the eggs into the flour with a fork, being careful not to tip the eggs out and spill them.

Begin to knead the dough once all of the egg is incorporated, and if needed add water until the dough is workable a couple of teaspoons at a time. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Let the dough rest wrapped in plastic wrap at least 30 minutes.

To make the tortellini, roll out the dough on a pasta maker, lightly floured as needed to the second to last setting. Cut the pasta dough sheets into 3 centimetre squares.

Place about ½ teaspoon of filling in the centre of the pasta square. To form a tortellini, enclose the pasta filling by folding the pasta in half to form a triangle, wetting the pasta slightly with water if needed. Fold the two triangle corners together and pinch well. Continue this process until all the pasta and filling is used up.

To cook, bring a large pot of broth (about 2 litres) to a gentle boil. Add the tortellini, and cook until floating, about 4 – 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste, and serve with additional parmesan cheese.