Tortellini in brodo, the Bolognese recipe: a filling of pork loin, prosciutto, mortadella and Parmigiano, egg pasta and hen and beef broth. Serves 6.
Introduction
Tortellini in brodo are the festive dish of Bologna and of all Emilia, the one that comes to the table at Christmas before anything else. They are small rings of egg pasta closed around a filling of pork, prosciutto crudo, mortadella and Parmigiano Reggiano, and they are cooked and served in meat broth, made with hen and beef. The filling is rich and full of flavour, the broth is clear and hot: the whole dish lies in the balance between the two.
The difficulty does not lie in the ingredients, which are few, but in patience. The pasta must be rolled thin, almost transparent, and the tortellini are closed one by one around the finger: in Emilia they are made in company, on Christmas Eve, and every family has its own rhythm. The broth must be made beforehand and without hurrying, because it is the dressing. Our version follows the proportions of the Bolognese tradition, with the pork loin browned in butter.
For the pasta we use the Aurum type 1 soft wheat flour by Mulino Terrevive, stone-ground from wheat grown around Rovigo and Ferrara. In the glass we put the CHARD by Buvoli, a wood-aged Chardonnay with the body to stand beside the filling; those who prefer bubbles, as they do in Bologna, will find in the Sampà by Firmino Miotti a col fondo sparkling wine.
The Story of Tortellini
The tortellino has been disputed for centuries between Bologna and Modena, and the most often told legend is set right on the border, at Castelfranco Emilia. It tells of an innkeeper who, while hosting a noblewoman (in some versions the goddess Venus herself), spied on her through the keyhole and, dazzled by the sight of her navel, tried to reproduce it in pasta. It is a story made to amuse, not a document, but it explains the shape well: a small, folded ring that closes around the finger.
More concrete is the fact that filled pasta cooked in broth has been on Emilian tables for many centuries, first as the festive dish of well-off families and then of every household. For a long time the filling changed from one family to the next. To fix one version, on 7 December 1974 the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino and the Bologna delegation of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina registered the recipe with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce: pork loin, prosciutto crudo, mortadella di Bologna, Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs and nutmeg, with a pasta of eggs and flour only. It is the base our recipe starts from too.
Ingredients
For the filling
- pork loin80 g
- butter15 g
- prosciutto crudo80 g
- mortadella di Bologna80 g
- Parmigiano Reggiano, grated120 g
- egg1
- nutmega grating
For the dough
- Aurum Farina di Grano tenero tipo 1400 g
- eggs4
For the broth
- home-made meat broth (see the first step)2.5 litres
- saltto taste
Nutritional Values per Serving
Values calculated from the recipe's ingredients using the CREA food composition tables, and from the labels of our products where available. They are an estimate per serving, not a laboratory analysis.
Equipment Needed
- Large pot for the broth
- Meat grinder or food processor
- Wooden pastry board and rolling pin, or a pasta machine
- Plain pasta wheel or sharp knife
- Floured trays or tea towels to lay the tortellini on
- Fine-mesh sieve
Tip: The wooden board is not an affectation: its rough surface grips the pasta and gives it the porous texture that later holds the broth. If you use the machine, stop at the second-to-last setting: the pasta for tortellini must be thin, but not so thin that it tears when you close it.
How to Make Tortellini in Brodo — Bolognese Recipe
The broth
Make the broth at least three hours ahead: in 3.5 litres of cold water put 800 g of beef shin, half a hen, a carrot, an onion and a celery stalk. Bring slowly to the boil, skim, lower the heat and let it simmer for three hours with the lid only partly on. Salt it at the end, strain it through a fine sieve and let it cool: the fat that rises to the surface is lifted off with a spoon, leaving a thin film.
Chef's tip: The broth must simmer, not boil: over a high heat it turns cloudy. The meat is not thrown away: it is the bollito to serve afterwards, with mostarda or a salsa verde.
The filling
Cut the pork loin into pieces and brown it in the butter over a medium heat for about ten minutes, until cooked and golden. Let it cool, then put it through the meat grinder together with the prosciutto crudo and the mortadella, twice, until the mixture is fine. Add the Parmigiano, the egg and a grating of nutmeg, and knead with your hands into a compact paste. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour, or better overnight.
Chef's tip: Do not salt the filling: prosciutto, mortadella and Parmigiano already bring all the salt it needs. If it is too firm the next day, work it with your hands for a minute before using it.
The pasta
Make a well with the flour on the board, break the eggs into the centre and beat them with a fork, then work in the flour a little at a time. Knead for ten minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic, wrap it and leave it to rest for half an hour. Roll out a thin sheet and cut it into squares of about three centimetres. In the centre of each put a hazelnut-sized piece of filling, fold into a triangle pressing the edges firmly, then wrap the two corners around your finger and overlap them.
Chef's tip: Work one piece of pasta at a time and keep the rest covered: if it dries out, the edges no longer seal and the tortellino opens during cooking. A dough of type 1 flour, stronger than a 00, needs a few more minutes of rest before rolling.
In the broth
Bring the broth to the boil and taste it for salt. Drop in the tortellini a few at a time, so that the boil does not stop, and cook them for 3-4 minutes from when they float back to the surface, stirring gently. Turn off the heat and let them rest for a minute in the pot. Serve them in soup plates with their hot broth, and bring the grated Parmigiano to the table separately.
Chef's tip: Tortellini are cooked in the same broth they are served in: they release a little starch and make it rounder. For the same reason they should never be cooked in water and then put into the broth.
Wine to Pair with Tortellini in Brodo
Tortellini in brodo is a delicate dish made of ingredients that are not delicate at all. The filling brings together pork loin, prosciutto crudo, mortadella and a generous amount of Parmigiano Reggiano: salt, fat and that deep flavour of aged cheese that fills the mouth. The hen and beef broth, hot and barely veiled with fat, binds them and lightens them at the same time, and the egg pasta adds a quiet sweetness. So three things are asked of the wine. The first is savouriness and freshness, to answer the salt of the cured meats and the Parmigiano. The second is a little body, because a wine that is too light disappears beside the filling. The third is restraint: no tannin, which turns bitter against the broth, and no excess alcohol, which with a hot dish feels twice as strong. In Bologna the house answer is a sparkling white from the hills or a dry Lambrusco. We suggest two roads: a still, structured white for the festive table, or a col fondo sparkling wine, which does the job of the Emilian wine with its bubbles.
The White We Recommend
Chard Chardonnay — Buvoli — The **CHARD by Buvoli** is a pure Chardonnay from the Colli Berici made in the Burgundy manner: fermented and aged for twelve months in wood on its fine lees, then left to settle in steel and bottled without fining or filtration. On tortellini in brodo it works by similarity. The fine lees and the wood give it a soft, full sip, with notes of fresh butter and ripe fruit, and that body stands level with the filling instead of being covered by the mortadella and the Parmigiano. The savouriness and freshness the producer describes, with a long, mineral finish, answer the salt of the cured meats and clean the mouth of the film of fat from the broth. And 13% vol is low enough not to heat up a dish that arrives at the table steaming. The limit has to be stated: it is a serious wine on a dish that lives by subtraction, and with a light broth the vanilla of the wood can seem too much; it gives its best with the rich filling of the Bolognese recipe and a full hen broth. The producer says it is at its best after three or four years in bottle, and the 2022 vintage has got there. Serve it at 12-13 °C, in a wide glass.
The Sparkling Alternative
Sampà Rifermentato in bottiglia — Firmino Miotti — Those who want the bubbles of the Bolognese hills with their tortellini will find in the **Sampà by Firmino Miotti** a col fondo sparkling wine from Marzemina Bianca grapes, an old variety of Breganze, refermented in bottle with no added sulphites and left on its lees for at least 24 months. Here two things clean the mouth, the freshness of the wine and the fine bubble, which with every sip lift the fat of the broth and the salt of the mortadella. The sip is soft and savoury, with scents of wisteria and lily that do not cover the nutmeg in the filling. It also has a story that suits the dish: in country families it was opened at feasts and wedding banquets, just as tortellini are made for Christmas. The limit is the body: it is a light wine, at 12% vol, and beside a filling very rich in Parmigiano it says less than the Chardonnay. It can be poured cloudy, by shaking the bottle, or clear, by decanting it gently. Serve it at 8 °C.
Want to learn more? our guide to col fondo
Craft Beer as an Alternative
Bold Helles Beer — Norah's Farm — Tortellini in brodo call for a pale, clean beer: a dark or heavily hopped beer would cover the broth at the first sip. The **Bold Helles by Norah's Farm** is a bottom-fermented blonde in the German style, with a delicate taste of malted grain, a round sip and a barely dry, bitter finish. The malt rests on the sweetness of the egg pasta, and the carbonation, with its creamy head, carries the fat of the broth off the palate as a sparkling wine would. The light bitter finish keeps the salt of the prosciutto and mortadella in check. The limit is intensity: at 4,8% vol it is a simple beer, and on the Parmigiano in the filling it adds nothing, it simply accompanies. Serve it at 6-8 °C.
Want to know more about the style? pale craft beers
Variations
- With capon broth: at Christmas many Bolognese families replace the hen with a capon, which gives a sweeter, fattier broth. It has to be skimmed of fat more carefully, but the flavour is that of the holidays.
- Tortellini with cream: outside Emilia they are often dressed with cream and ham. In Bologna this version is viewed with suspicion, and the reason is simple: the filling is already rich, and the cream covers it instead of accompanying it.
- With raw pork loin: some cooks do not brown the loin and grind it raw together with the cured meats. The filling stays softer and paler, but it needs more care because the meat cooks only in the few minutes in the broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between tortellini and cappelletti?
The shape is similar, but the filling changes. Bolognese tortellini have a filling of pork, prosciutto crudo, mortadella and Parmigiano. Cappelletti, common in Romagna and the Marche, often have a filling of soft cheeses or of other meats, and are usually a little larger.
Can tortellini be made in advance?
Yes. Once closed, leave them to dry for an hour on a floured tray, and they can be kept in the fridge until the next day. For longer, freeze them raw, well spaced on a tray, and then seal them in a bag: cook them still frozen, straight in the broth.
How many tortellini per person?
As a first course in broth, allow about 80-100 grams of raw tortellini per person, that is around thirty pieces if they are the traditional size. The quantities in this recipe comfortably serve six.
Can the broth be made the day before?
Yes, and it is even better. Cooled in the fridge overnight, the fat sets on the surface and comes off in one go, leaving the broth clear. Bring it back to the boil only when it is time to cook the tortellini.
Does Parmigiano go on tortellini in brodo?
In many Bolognese homes, yes: a sprinkling in the soup plate as it is served. Some leave it out, because the filling already contains plenty. That is why it is best to bring it to the table separately and let everyone decide.
