The excellence of the cuisine of Ravenna, and of Romagna in general, is represented by first courses.
Among these ones, PASSATELLI have a place of honour. They are one of the most classical and tasty local dishes, and they were also mentioned by Pellegrino Artusi in his famous cooking book “La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene” (lit. “Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well”).
According to Artusi, their origin is linked to tardura, a soup made of eggs, cheese and breadcrumbs that was traditionally served to women who had recently given birth.
They are a typical festive dish and are usually eaten with meat or fish broth, but there is no shortage of recipes with truffle, fish or cheese.
Passatelli are made of a mixture of eggs, cheese, breadcrumbs and nutmeg that gets pressed with a special tool called “ferro da passatelli” (lit. passatelli tool).
It is made of a drilled circular plate with two handles. You can also achieve good results with a potato masher.
PASSATELLI RECIPE
Recipe by chef Erica Liverani
Ingredients of 6 people
- 150 grams of breadcrumbs;
- 150 grams of Parmesan;
- 4 eggs;
- nutmeg;
- meat broth.
Directions
Knead breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs and nutmeg in a bowl until the mixture gets solid (not too hard, not too soft).
Cover it with a cloth and leave it to rest for 30 minutes. Then press it with the ferro da passatelli or a potato masher.
Cut the passatelli to a length of 4/8 centimetres and spread them on a paper tray.
Do not drop them into boiling broth immediately, because otherwise they will break. Where appropriate, add some flour to the mixture.
Cook the passatelli in boiling broth and serve them with broth as soon as they come up to the surface.
