
Recipes
Cappelletti in brodo
Stuffed pasta with a soothing, delicately flavoured broth. This is an ideal dish if you’re feeling under the weather or need a pick-me-up to ease the winter blues. The broth can be made in batches and frozen for up to 3 months; feel free to vary the vegetables or meat you are using. The cappelletti is fun to make, but you could buy a good ready-made version as an alternative.Adapted from The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan.
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Prep time:25 minutes
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Cooking time:5 minutes for pasta, 3 hours for broth
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Serves:4
Method
Make 2 x fresh pasta dough. Wrap tightly in cling film and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
For the vegetarian ricotta and herb filling
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
- Combine the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well with a fork. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Roll out fresh pasta dough to 1mm thickness. Cut the dough into 4cm-wide strips. Keep all additional sheets of pasta covered with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
- Cut 4cm squares from the strips of pasta. Add ¼ teaspoon of filling to the centre of each square.
- Brush the edges of the pasta squares with water and fold the squares diagonally in half, forming a triangle. Press the edges firmly together with your fingers to ensure they are airtight.
- Bring the 2 corners of the parcel together and press to seal, forming a ring.
- Place the cappelletti on a lightly floured tray and make sure they don’t touch. They can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for several hours
For the pork filling
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
- Place the pork mince in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Add the butter to a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the pork mince to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the mince with a spoon and turning frequently to brown the meat on both sides. Remove from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
- Use a sharp knife to chop through the filling. Place in a bowl and add the ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg and chopped thyme, and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Follow instructions from the vegetarian ricotta and herb filling recipe to assemble the cappelletti.
- Any leftover filling can be frozen or used to make meatballs in another meal.
For the brodo
Makes approximately 2 litres of broth
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
- Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan and add enough water to cover by 3 inches.
- Place over a medium heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat until it is gently simmering. Remove any froth that accumulates on the top.
- Continue to simmer gently for 3 hours, then remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer. Discard ingredients in the strainer.
- Return the brodo to the pan place over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the cappelletti and cook for approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the kale and carrots and remove from the heat. Season to taste.
- Serve immediately topped with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Ingredients
Vegetarian ricotta and herb filling
- 150g ricotta
- 2 tablespoons vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese
- ½ garlic clove, finely grated or chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- grating of fresh nutmeg
Pork filling
- 100g free-range minced pork
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 50g ricotta
- 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- grating of fresh nutmeg
- handful of thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped
Brodo
- 1 peeled carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 1 red or yellow pepper, cored and with seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 1 ripe fresh tomato or tinned plum tomato, drained
- 2 bay leaves
- handful of parsley stems
- 2kg assorted chicken or beef, approximately half of which should be bones
To serve
- 200g cappelletti
- a handful of kale, torn into small pieces
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- salt, to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan
- drizzle good quality virgin olive oil
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