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How to prepare it…in the right order:
BROTH
Chop the Onion, the Celery and one Carrot, sauté in Olive Oil to prepare the Soffritto, on a medium-high flame.
Combine the remaining ingredients, cover with Water and bring to a boil.
Lower the flame to a gentle simmer and cook for about 4 Hours.
Strain twice, first through a fine mesh sieve, then through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Let broth cool. It can be refrigerated for three days and frozen up to 3 months.
FILLING
In a large non-stick pan, sauté the onion in the Olive Oil, then add the Pork cut in small cubes. Increase heat and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the White Wine and cook until it evaporates, for about 5 minutes more.
Set aside and let cool off, then transfer the meat in a mixer; leave behind the rosemary that is too bitter and the onions that are too wet…leave some of the sage.
Add the Prosciutto and pulse until mixture is very finely chopped but not pureed to a paste.
Transfer filling to a bowl. Add the cheese and the egg lightly beaten if you’d like to use it…it helps make a softer and fluffier filling, but depending on how the pork came out of the pan, it can turn out to bee too wet for including it in the pasta, Be Careful.
TORTELLINI
On a clean work surface mound the Flour; create a well in the center. Add Eggs, Oil and a generous pinch of Salt. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from the inside rim of the well.
Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead until dough forms a complete mass.
Continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes more.
Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 pieces. Roll pieces into sheets, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut Sheets into 1 ½ inch squares (keep dough, sheets and squares covered with a clean dish towel while cutting and rolling to avoid drying).
Place about ½ teaspoon filling in center of each square.
Fold triangles, with one top point slightly further than the other. Press any air from around the filling, then press to seal edges ( a drop of cold water can be used to help seal edges if necessary).
Fold Base of the triangle to create a cuff, then bring points of long side together to form a fairly tight ring. Press to seal.
Keep Tortellini covered with a clean dishtowel until ready to cook.
Tortellini can be prepared 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen up to 3 months.
Freeze while laying on a baking sheet so they won’t stick together, then transfer them to a well sealed, airtight plastic freezer bag, and keep frozen until ready to cook. Do not defrost before cooking, just keep them boiling in the broth for a couple of minutes more.
COOKING
Bring the broth to a gentle boil (avoid a rolling boil, which may cause the pasta to open up). Carefully drop the tortellini, in batches, into the broth and cook until they rise to the surface; then for 1 ½ minutes longer for pasta made with all-purpose flour. If using tortellini made with Grano Tenero flour, cook only for ½ minute after they rise to the surface.
Serve the tortellini in deep bowls, floating in their broth.
There is always a quite abundant leftover of broth, after you have done with your Tortellini.
And a lot of great White Meat can be cleaned out of your boiled chicken.
Save both in the fridge, and add the remaining two carrots chopped in halves lengthwise and then in three or four pieces.
Re-Heat the broth, the carrots and the chicken, while in a different pot boil some salted water for the Angel Hair pasta…or whatever small size pasta you’d like….even Egg Noodles.
When ready, strain the pasta and add it to the chicken soup and serve in a bowl.
Buon Appetito!
Debi and Gabriele
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