As the temperatures drop with the arrival of winter, comforting bowls of soup start to beckon. And passatelli, tastes ever-so satisfying at this time of year.
Just three ingredients — egg, breadcrumbs, and Parmigiano — comprise this pasta from Emiglia-Romagna. The pasta is traditionally served in chicken broth, but its heartiness also stands up to non-soup preparations. Serve passatelli with some traditional pasta sauces, or try our 5 ideas below. Don't forget to browse the photo gallery above for a few additional tips. Buon appetito!
Our recipe for homemade passatelli
Ingredients:
4 oz. breadcrumbs
4 oz. Parmigiano, grated
3 eggs
½ lemon, only zest
1½ qt. meat or chicken broth
Salt and nutmeg, to taste
Method:
Start with the broth and the passatelli dough
Mix the eggs, Parmigiano, breadcrumbs, the zest from ½ lemon, and ground nutmeg to taste until uniform and dense. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for around 2 hours.
Shape the pasta, boil it and add flavor
On a clean, lightly floured work surface, use a wide-holed noodle press to form the passatelli from the dough. To remove the pasta from the noodle press, use a knife to cut approximately every 1½" or so. Once finished, bring the broth to a boil and add the passatelli. Once they rise to the surface, remove from the broth, and transfer to a pan. Season and serve.
1. Passatelli with fish sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb. mixed fish
1 lb. cod
5 oz. tomato paste,
1 shallot, chopped
extra-virgin olive oil
dry white wine
parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a large pan, fry the shallot in 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. After a few minutes, add the mixed fish and cod then pour in the white wine and add the tomato paste. Adjust the salt to taste, bring to a boil, and cook for around 10 minutes. Blend all the ingredients to make them creamier, then boil the passatelli and drain. Serve with the fish sauce and a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper and chopped parsley.
2. Passatelli with porcini mushrooms
Ingredients:
7 oz. porcini mushrooms
5 oz. tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
oregano
parsley
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Clean the porcini mushrooms and cut them into small pieces. In a frying pan, sauté the chopped garlic with extra-virgin olive oil, then add the chopped porcini mushrooms and the tomato paste. Adjust the salt to taste and let simmer until the sauce reduces a bit. Serve with the passatelli and finish with black pepper, chopped parsley, and oregano.
3. Passatelli with sausage and radicchio
For this preparation, you’ll need a couple of fresh Italian sausages. Crumble and brown the sausages in a pan, then add some red wine. In the meantime, clean and thinly slice 4-5 leaves of red radicchio, then add them to the sausage to sauté until wilted. Combine with the passatelli and serve, topping each dish with 1 Tbsp. of cream for a richer consistency.
4. Passatelli with taleggio cheese and zucchini
For this recipe, you’ll need a couple of zucchini sliced in rounds, which you’ll sauté in a pan with onion and garlic. In the meantime, dice 7 oz. taleggio cheese. Boil the passatelli, drain, then add to the pan with the zucchini. Mix with taleggio and serve.
5. Passatelli with clam sauce
Soak 2 lbs. fresh clams in water, changing the water often. After soaking, add the clams to a saucepan with extra-virgin olive oil and a clove of crushed garlic. Cook the clams until they open, removing any that remain closed, then filter the water with a mesh strainer. In a separate pan, heat some extra-virgin olive oil with 2 cloves garlic, and remove them once golden-brown. Combine the clams, 1 glass dry white wine, and the clam water to make a sauce. Once the passatelli are boiled, add them to the pan with the clams and mix to combine. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with freshly chopped parsley.