Gianna's Tortellini in Brodo Recipe
The tastes you remember from your mother’s table stay with you the rest of your life. Gianna’s mamma, Sylvana, made tortellini not only for her family but gave it to her friends and neighbors.  It was her hobby, like some older women crochet or knit and supply the family with scarves and mittens, Sylvana kept her fingers busy with the filled pasta that was the pride of Emilia Romagna. Gianna makes them like her mother did.

Ingredients for the broth:

5 liters of salted water

One stalk of celery and one carrot, chopped

400 gr. of beef cut into cubes

One marrow bone

One half stewing hen 

Boil everything together for approximately 4 to 5 hours, adjusting the water level as needed.

Strain or skim the broth to remove the fat.

Recipe for the filling:

Ingredients

200g grated Parmesan cheese

100g pork loin

100g Bologna mortadella

100g Parma ham

20g butter.

Salt and a pinch of nutmeg to taste.

Dice the pork loin and brown them quickly in the butter.

Drain and cool, then pass them through a blender together with the mortadella and the prosciutto crudo (Parma or similar).

Place the mixture in a large bowl (add a pinch of nutmeg and salt after taste.)

Add the grated Parmesan cheese.

Mix everything with your hands to a smooth consistency.

Recipe for the pasta, ingredients for six:

300 g. white flour

3 eggs

Procedure:

Pour the flour onto a baking board or smooth surface.

Make a well and add the eggs,

Knead the eggs into the flour, working the dough vigorously; it should be firm but not too hard.

Let the dough rest for half an hour, well covered, so it doesn't dry out.

Using a rolling pin, or pasta machine -setting five- roll out a thin dough.

Cut the dough into squares of the desired size, preferably 2cm. x 2cm.

Place a small dollop of filling in the center of each square, fold the dough in half, then the outer edges over one another, matching them to form a triangle. Press the edges firmly so the filling doesn't leak out.

Finally, fold the tortellino around your index finger, and overlap the two ends.

Arrange them neatly on a cloth to dry. 

Boil them for approximately two or three minutes.

Serve al dente in a bowl of broth, accompanied by a good Lambrusco wine.