Holiday dining at home: Chicago chef Federico Comacchio’s tortellini in brodo recipe

Chef Federico Comacchio, owner of Gioia Ristorante & Pastificio, is photographed with his restaurant’s extensive wine collection. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time)

Chef Federico Comacchio

Gioia Ristorante e Pastificio, 1133 W. Randolph

Dish: Tortellini in Brodo (Italian Christmas Lunch Soup)

“The most important dish for me was the middle course, Tortellini in brodo, which are tortellini stuffed with young capon, served in broth in a double capon consomme and Parmigiano. This was a must dish for Christmas Day lunch.” — Chef Frederico Comacchio

Tortellini in Brodo (Italian Christmas Lunch)

Chef Federico Comacchio’s Tortellini in Brodo is photographed at Gioia Ristorante Pastificio. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs egg pasta dough
• 2 young capons, around 3.5 lbs
• 1 carrot
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 white onion
• 1 leek
• 4 shallots
• 8 oz pancetta
• 8 prosciutto di Parma
• 4 oz Parmigiano Reggiano
• 4 eggs
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 3 bay leaves
• ¹⁄₂ glass white wine
• Salt and white pepper

Directions:

1. Debone the capons, and use the bones to create a broth, adding half the vegetables, 10 cups of water, and a touch of sea salt in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 hours, set aside to cool.

2. In a pot, saute 60% of the raw capon meat from step 1 with the pancetta, prosciutto di Parma, shallot and bay leaves. Add salt and white pepper, deglaze with a touch of white wine, and keep cooking until reaching a medium-well temperature.

3. After removing the bay leaves, finely grind the meat from step 2 in a mixer (grinder attachment for KitchenAid or food processor), adding the Parmigiano, eggs and nutmeg. 

4. After the broth is chilled, take the rest of the raw capon and finely chop it, adding the remaining half of the vegetables. Mix with the raw ground meat, adding 2 egg whites. Place this mixture into the cold broth, return it to the stovetop and bring to a boil, gently boiling for 20 minutes. Turn the heat off. Let sit overnight in refrigerator. The next day, Remove the meat and the result will be a clear, rich consomme.

5. Stretch the pasta dough thin with pasta machine and cut into circles with a circular disc cutter. Brush some egg wash onto the dough and add filling to the center of the tortellini dough circle. Close it into a half-moon shape with your fingers and press to seal completely.

6. Cook the tortellini in the consomme (consider 12 to 15 pieces per serving), adding abundant Parmigiano Reggiano and a touch of fresh ground black pepper.

Variations: Add drops of aged balsamic or a touch of red wine into the broth.

Chef suggested wine pairing: Barolo, Barbaresco or Barbera d’Alba

Osteria Via Stato is located at 620 N. State Street. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)