{"id":9069,"date":"2021-12-19T07:07:36","date_gmt":"2021-12-19T07:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unochefpergaia.it\/?p=9069"},"modified":"2023-04-03T08:28:52","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T08:28:52","slug":"il-sapore-del-natale-cappelletti-in-brodo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unochefpergaia.it\/en\/il-sapore-del-natale-cappelletti-in-brodo\/","title":{"rendered":"The flavour of Christmas: Cappelletti in meat stock"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there is one recipe that is the symbol of our Christmas, it most certainly is the recipe for Cappelletti in meat stock <\/strong>because it accompanies not only Christmas Day, but also the preceding period of busy preparation and anticipation.<\/p>\n

And the recipe for Cappelletti is part of the advent calendar<\/strong> of the Italian Food Bloggers Association<\/a> which presents a typical family recipe for every box.<\/p>\n

Making Cappelletti in meat stock: a family affair<\/strong><\/p>\n

The preparation of Cappelletti is a family affair: yes, because the whole family gets involved during Christmas holidays and everyone is assigned a task based on their culinary skills, an indispensable contribution to this almost sacred ritual.<\/p>\n

There are two types of these beloved stuffed buttons: those stuffed with stew and those stuffed with cheese (called Anolini<\/strong>), each of which has its own convinced and adamant admirers.<\/p>\n

Tradition has it that for the most important feast of the year, the stuffing with meat stew<\/strong> should be preferred, so Cappelletti<\/strong> are going to be prepared. Stracotto is prepared several days in advance also because, as its name implies, it takes so long to cook. Precisely for this reason, the cooking juices, with precious flavours and aromas, are used piping hot to moisten the breadcrumbs (unlike cheese stuffing where broth is used for this purpose).<\/p>\n

Although the ingredients are few and the recipe is always the same, the stuffing<\/strong> (together with the meat stock) is the element that most determines the success of the Christmas lunch because the stracotto will never be perfectly the same as the previous year’s, nor will the Parmesan cheese and bread we use be identical, so the tasting committee has a task of great responsibility. One of the most vivid and amusing memories I keep of the \u201cCappelletti factory\u201d is the ritual of tasting the filling by the men of the house who, excluded from all household chores, could not help but be involved in the approval of the filling: an additional pinch of aged Parmesan cheese, a bit less of nutmeg, in short, an invisible recipe hidden in the memory of tastes.<\/p>\n

\"cappelletti<\/a><\/p>\n

The traditional dough: 100g flour for 1 egg<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

My grandmother’s rule has always been this, a proportion that we cannot maintain in the preparation of gluten-free dough, which requires more hydration and therefore more eggs.<\/p>\n

The dough must be bright yellow due to the careful selection of eggs<\/strong> with the yolk having an intense colour to ensure an even, golden dough. My grandmother’s powerful arms (now often replaced by my own) would push her wrists so that they would sink into the resistant mass of flour and eggs, which would eventually surrender, becoming docile and smooth, ready to receive the precious explosion of flavour of the filling.<\/p>\n

My mother was (and still is) in charge of rolling out the pastry into thin, almost transparent strips and my aunt presided over the precision work of distributing the filling. And then, the workforce still available was given the task of cutting with round, smooth or ribbed stencils, and the patient arrangement, especially by the children of the house, in perfectly aligned rows; so that the precise number of Cappelletti prepared was readily known and flaunted with acquaintances and friends in fun competitions in search of Guinness records.<\/p>\n

Capon stock<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last but not least, the stock<\/strong>. Again, for Christmas, the choice of ingredients is very accurate and detailed: a rich piece of beef, a large beef bone, a free-range capon and the essential vegetables for colour and fragrance, namely onion, celery, carrot, garlic and parsley. Slow cooking, careful skimming of the foam on the surface and an eye on the cooking of the meat that will be the second dish of the day: the boiled meats accompanied by homemade sauces, sweet and spicy.<\/p>\n

Once the stock has been strained and the salt has been adjusted, the last effort before the pleasure and the feast: throw in the cappelletti and cook them, keeping them at a gentle simmer to prevent them from opening and releasing their filling. So here they are, the adored and legendary \u201cfloaters<\/strong>“, as\u00a0 Parma natives like to call them.<\/p>\n

\"cappelletti<\/a><\/p>\n

Cappelletti in meat stock<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

37.31g carbohydrates per 100g raw cappelletti, without stock<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ingredients for the egg pasta for 4 servings<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n