Passatelli is one of the classic soups of central Italy and is derived from an ancient peasant tradition.
The tool to create passatelli, called the “fer,” is really difficult to find in the shops. Thankfully, that’s not a problem: just a common potato masher with large holes will work!
In fact, the name can be traced back to the special shape they obtain by ‘passing’ it through the tool that gives the typical shape of ‘large and wrinkled spaghetti’.
This is the recipe of my dear great-aunt Lina who lived in the Marche region for her entire life.
Aunt Lina Passatelli
- Preparation time: 30 minutes
- Ingredients for 4 servings
- Difficulty: Easy recipe
- Ingredients
- 1 liter of meat broth
- 4 oz (100 grams) of grated dry bread
- 2 small eggs
- 4 oz (100 grams) of grated parmesan
- Grated nutmeg to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan to taste
- Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, eggs, grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix the ingredients until you get a dough that is not too soft but workable.
- Wrap the dough and let it rest at room temperature for at least one hour.
- Heat the broth and, as soon as it boils, place the dough in a potato masher.
- Press the dough and pass it through the holes to form the passatelli. With the blade of a knife, cut the passatelli to a length of 3 inches long directly into the boiling broth.
- Cook the passatelli for about two minutes. They are cooked when they come to the surface. Serve them hot, sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- For the meat broth, see here.
- The broth must gently simmer, as otherwise it could break the passatelli.
- To leave the broth nice and clear, it is better to cook the passatelli in a saucepan containing some of the broth, then drain them and add them to the serving broth.
from left: Giuliana, Paola, Auntie Lina, Helia, Tullio and Cristina
