flipCappelletti in brodo — the feast day soup
Cappelletti in brodo — the feast day soup
Why this dish? The pinnacle of the family table on days Zappi holds sacred — Christmas, Easter, the feast of the patron saint San Pietro Apostolo of Faenza. Hand-shaped pasta folded like a little hat, requiring time and hands: prepared by the family, like an altarpiece, in patient steps.
Small square pasta filled with a mixture of fresh and aged cheeses seasoned with nutmeg, folded into a hat shape (cappelletto), then served piping hot in capon broth. The signature dish of celebration in Romagna.
For the Nativity, my good friends, we spare no expense. The whole household sits around the wooden table: one rolls the egg pasta until you can see through it, another places the cheese and nutmeg filling, and each one folds his little hat — hence their name, cappelletti. We drop them into the capon broth that has been steaming since dawn. I tell you: a cappelletto that bursts in the broth is a sin of laziness, seal them well! This is the true Christian feast, more precious than a gilded altarpiece.
- •Wheat flour and eggs — for the pasta (thin pasta)
- •Fresh cheese (raviggiolo) and aged cheese — in parts (filling)
- •Nutmeg — grated (signature spice)
- •Capon or fat hen — one (broth)
- •Egg — one (binder for filling)
Cappelletti in brodo — the feast day soup
Small square pasta filled with a mixture of fresh and aged cheeses seasoned with nutmeg, folded into a hat shape (cappelletto), then served piping hot in capon broth. The signature dish of celebration in Romagna.
Why this dish? The pinnacle of the family table on days Zappi holds sacred — Christmas, Easter, the feast of the patron saint San Pietro Apostolo of Faenza. Hand-shaped pasta folded like a little hat, requiring time and hands: prepared by the family, like an altarpiece, in patient steps.
For the Nativity, my good friends, we spare no expense. The whole household sits around the wooden table: one rolls the egg pasta until you can see through it, another places the cheese and nutmeg filling, and each one folds his little hat — hence their name, cappelletti. We drop them into the capon broth that has been steaming since dawn. I tell you: a cappelletto that bursts in the broth is a sin of laziness, seal them well! This is the true Christian feast, more precious than a gilded altarpiece.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour and eggs — for the pasta (thin pasta)
- Fresh cheese (raviggiolo) and aged cheese — in parts (filling)
- Nutmeg — grated (signature spice)
- Capon or fat hen — one (broth)
- Egg — one (binder for filling)
Ingredients
- Type 00 flour — 300 g (pasta)
- Eggs — 3 (pasta)
- Ricotta — 150 g (filling)
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano — 100 g (filling)
- Nutmeg — a generous pinch (spice)
- Egg (for filling) — 1 (binder)
- Capon or chicken broth — 1.5 L (service)
Method
- Prepare broth by simmering the capon with aromatics for 2-3 hours; strain.
- Knead flour and eggs into a smooth dough, rest 30 minutes under a cloth.
- Mix ricotta, Parmigiano, egg, and nutmeg for the filling; season with salt.
- Roll out the pasta very thinly, cut into 4 cm squares, place a hazelnut of filling in the center.
- Fold into a triangle, seal the edges, then bring the two points around your finger to form the hat.
- Poach the cappelletti in simmering broth for 3-4 minutes and serve piping hot, with a little Parmigiano.
How it was made : Stuffed pasta in broth is attested in Renaissance Italian kitchens: Bartolomeo Scappi (Opera, 1570) describes tortelletti and pies filled with cheese and nutmeg. The original filling, in the Romagnola *povero*, was mostly cheese; meat appeared on wealthier tables. Capon broth was the luxury of feast days.
The contemporary twist : A few cappelletti pan-fried in sage butter as a crispy topping on the soup.
Sources : Bartolomeo Scappi, Opera dell'arte del cucinare (1570) · Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene (1891), cappelletti all'uso di Romagna
Gian Paolo Zappi · Charactorium
