Tortellini in brodo

This filling rewards patience. The loin seasons over two days, the mixture rests overnight. Do not rush either rest — the depth of flavor in a properly aged filling is immediately apparent at the table.

For the pasta dough — flour ratios, egg weights, and kneading method — see the Fresh Egg Pasta page. The dough is the same; what changes here is how thin you roll it and how you work.

Tortellini are labor-intensive by design. Plan to make them entirely in advance and freeze them — this is not a last-minute dish, and that is not a compromise. Frozen tortellini cooked directly from the freezer into hot broth are exceptional. The system below is built around that reality: work in small, matched batches of approximately 70–75 g of dough per round, yielding approximately 24 circles, matched to 24 pre-portioned filling balls. Filling and circles stay in rhythm, waste is minimal, and the forming goes quickly.

Set up the station

Before rolling any dough, arrange your work surface: a kitchen scale, a wooden cutting board directly beside it, and the lightly damp linen towel nearby. Having everything in position before you start is what makes the forming go smoothly.

Pre-portion the filling first

Portion the filling before touching the pasta machine. Place the first 4 g ball on the scale and leave it there. Add a second ball — the scale now reads 8 g. Add a third: 12 g. Continue building in this way, one ball at a time, using the running total to confirm each 4 g portion, until you have approximately 24 balls. Set them aside in a row on the cutting board or a small tray. Having the filling already portioned means that once the circles are cut you can move directly into forming without stopping to measure — the most important thing when working with level-7 pasta.

Roll, cut, and re-roll

Take approximately 70–75 g of dough and keep the rest tightly covered. Press the piece flat and feed it progressively through the pasta machine up to level 7. Lay the sheet on the wooden cutting board and cut circles with a 2¾-inch (7 cm) round cutter, working quickly. Arrange the circles in rows and cover them immediately with the lightly damp towel.

Without pausing, gather the scraps into a ball and knead them briefly and firmly back together. Pass through the machine again to level 7, cut more circles, and return them under the towel. For the second round of scraps, if the dough has tightened and feels stiff, add a drop or two of water while kneading before re-rolling — just enough to relax it.

Continue — roll, cut, re-roll — until virtually all of the original 70–75 g has been used. The goal is to match the circle count to the filling balls: approximately 24 of each, with almost no dough left over.

Form the tortellini

The official recipe

The 1974 registered recipe is unambiguous: the broth must be prepared exclusively from a free-range farmyard capon, to which cuts of beef suitable for broth — such as brisket — may be added. No other substitutions are acknowledged. This is the standard against which all other versions are measured.

Home method — roasted bone broth

In practice, an excellent tortellini broth can be built from a rich homemade stock using roasted chicken carcasses, beef bones, or a combination of both, cooked with a mixture of fresh and oven-roasted vegetables. The result, once clarified, produces the clear golden broth that makes this dish so visually and gastronomically compelling.

Making the stock. Roast the bones and carcasses in a hot oven until deeply golden. In a large stockpot, combine the roasted bones with cold water, fresh aromatics (onion, carrot, celery), and any additional vegetables — some roasted alongside the bones for depth, others added fresh. Bring slowly to a bare simmer, skimming foam and impurities from the surface. Cook gently, uncovered, for a minimum of 3 hours — 4 hours produces a noticeably fuller result. Season with salt only in the final 30 minutes, tasting as you go. Strain carefully and defat thoroughly by chilling overnight and lifting off the solidified fat, or by patient skimming while hot.

Clarifying with egg whites — the raft

A well-defatted, carefully strained stock may be served as-is, but clarification with egg whites produces a beautifully clear, jewel-toned broth befitting a dish of this refinement.

Begin with cold stock — warm stock causes the egg whites to set on contact before a raft can form. For every quart (1 liter) of stock, lightly whisk 2 to 3 egg whites until slightly frothy but not stiff, and stir them into the cold stock. Place the pot over medium-low heat and stir gently and continuously as the stock slowly warms. The egg whites will coagulate and rise, collecting impurities and particulates as they ascend.

Once a soft raft begins to form on the surface — typically after 15 to 20 minutes — stop stirring immediately. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. You should see gentle steam and the occasional lazy bubble breaking through the raft; active boiling will destroy it and cloud the broth. Allow the raft to cook undisturbed for 30 to 45 minutes.

To extract the clarified stock, use a ladle to carefully create a small opening in the raft and ladle the clear liquid through it, then through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel. Do not press or squeeze. Taste and adjust seasoning gently — the egg whites will have absorbed some salt during clarification.

Like the tortellini themselves, the clarified broth is best made well in advance and frozen. Cool it completely, then freeze in portions sized for your typical service — one or two quarts at a time. A chamber vacuum sealer in a plastic bag is ideal: it eliminates air, prevents freezer burn, and allows the bags to lie flat for compact storage. Other methods work fine too — rigid containers with tight-fitting lids, or heavy-duty zip bags with as much air pressed out as possible. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently; do not boil.

Use the production planner above to calculate quantities. A primo serving is approximately 19 tortellini in 1 cup (240 ml) of broth; an antipasto portion is approximately 9 tortellini in ½ cup (120 ml).

Heat the bowls

This step is non-negotiable. Fill your serving bowls with hot water and allow them to sit for several minutes, then empty and dry just before plating. A cold bowl drops the temperature of the broth immediately — the tortellini begin to swell, the broth loses its shimmer, and the dish loses its character before it reaches the guest.

Two pots

Tortellini in brodo is finished in two separate pots. This is the key to serving a clear, pristine broth.

Cooking pot. Bring a generous amount of broth to a rolling boil — this may be a good store-bought broth, a secondary stock, or any broth you prefer not to sacrifice to the starch and gelatin released by the pasta. Lower to a lively simmer and cook the tortellini until they float and are tender: approximately 3 to 4 minutes for fresh, 4 to 5 minutes for frozen (added directly from the freezer, no thawing).

Serving broth. Heat your clarified homemade broth separately in a clean pot. Never allow it to boil — boiling clouds the broth and diminishes its depth. Keep it just below a simmer, steaming and fragrant, ready for service.

Plating

Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the cooked tortellini directly into the pre-heated bowls. Ladle the hot clarified broth over the tortellini at the last moment — pour gently and deliberately so as not to disturb the arrangement. Offer freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table for guests to add to their own taste.