Who like me has taken his first steps in the charming land of Romagna can certainly not forget the unmistakable aroma that spread in the house of the grandparents on cold winter evenings. Every self-respecting granny of Romagna, in fact, knows a truly infallible remedy against the cold weather and its fearsome frosts: passatelli in broth!

From the humble origins of the Romagna tradition we inherit this dish prepared in the past with recovery ingredients, especially bread, when too dry to be served on the table or for any other recipe.
The bread crumbs then meet the eggs and the Parmigiano, all flavored with the smell of lemon zest and nutmeg.

The intense yellow colored dough is then skillfully passed under “e fer”, an accessory similar to a potato masher that to give it the typical vermicelli shape that characterizes this dish.
These vermicelli are then cooked in the boiling broth of meat and vegetables, but only for a few minutes, to prevent them from disintegrating, losing consistency.

The simplicity in the preparation of this dish and its incomparable taste make this specialty made in Romagna an inevitable necessity for people born here. If during Easter or Christmas it’s normal to taste this dish with the family, in every cold winter evening it will be impossible for you, once tasted, to refuse a nice dish!

Here’s what is considered to be the right recipe for this amazing dish!
This is the most classic recipe, inserted by the genius of Pellegrino Artusi in his famous gastronomic manual:

20. Passatelli soup

Ingredients for 4 people:
100 gr. of breadcrumbs
40 gr. of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 eggs
Smell of nutmeg or lemon peel, or both.

* The original recipe also requires the use of 20 gr. of ox marrow, useful for making passatelli more tender, but – if you can’t find it – it’s fine to do without it, doses don’t change…Marietta’s words!

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  Passatelli | Ph. @cucinopertescemo

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  Passatelli | Ph. @lacucinadelloracolo