We are today in the Marche region, a place which, together with Emilia-Romagna, has given rise to cappelletti.
ORIGINS OF CAPPELLETTO
The cappelletto has peasant origins, documents attest more precisely, the birth of this stuffed pasta in the early 1500s, within the noble courts that spread in Romagna and throughout the region and today it is known throughout Italy above all in our Macerata area. At the beginning of the 20th century, Count Giovanni Manzoni transcribed at least seven different Cappelletto recipes, among the most popular of the time. In 1891 the writer and gastronome from Romagna Pellegrino Artusi, will publish the cooking manual "Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well" in which among the many recipes, he will also suggest fillings or compensations based on ricotta, capon breast or pork loin for further filling variations of the cappelletti. In the collective imagination, Cappelletto is still associated today with the figure of Azdora, who once took care of the family and the care of the house and prepared everything at home, having access to the secrets of the kitchen. The preparation generally took place in the evening, the whole family was involved in the closing "one by one" of the cappelletti. The ancient recipe, made as it once was, provides for the preparation of the classic pasta with flour, eggs and a little water. Then proceed to roll out the dough, using a small knife to obtain squares about 5 cm wide on each side. On each square of pastry, place a little meat and then with a dexterous and practical hand, close the square of pastry with the filling and fold it over on itself, making the points fit together. The Cappelletto was born!
HOW TO COOK THEM FOR CHRISTMAS
In each region there is a different way to consume this delicacy: in the Marche region the best way is to consume them with capon broth or galantine. Today we will see the recipe for cappelletti in capon broth.
INGREDIENTS for the pastry
- Flour 0: 500g
- Eggs: 5
- Salt to taste.
PREPARATION of pastry
- To prepare the pasta, combine the eggs with the flour and add a pinch of salt. Knead until you get a smooth and homogeneous compound.
- Let the dough rest for an hour before rolling it out and making a rather thin sheet. Here it's actually also a matter of personal taste, I personally don't like the dough too thin but a little more robust. Roll out the dough and cut out small squares from the dough (about 4-5cm to be real cappelletti from the Marche region).
- Once you have finished cutting, cover everything with a towel or kitchen paper to prevent the pasta from drying out excessively.
INGREDIENTS for the filling
- Mixed meat (usually pork and chicken): 400g
- Butter
- Onion
- Parmesan: 100g
- Eggs: 2
- Nutmeg
- Grated lemon (optional)
Filling PREPARATION
- Put some oil in a saucepan and start heating. Then pour the meat previously cut into small pieces and start browning by adding plenty of sage and rosemary together with the garlic. Salt and grind the pepper.
- After having browned the meat well, you will notice it because the browning will start to stick to the bottom, pour about half a glass of white wine. At that point everything will immediately detach from the pot and the wine will slowly evaporate. Continue to brown until the meat is well cooked and the browning has once again stuck to the bottom. At this point, remove the excess fat and add the meat broth to remove the tastiest part from the bottom, mixing it with the meat and cooking it for a few final minutes.
- Remove the herbs, drain the meat and pass it through the mincer. In the meantime, start filtering the remaining sauce with a large sieve into a separate saucepan. Insert the ham and mortadella into the mincer and grind again. At this point, add the Parmesan cheese, the two eggs and the previously filtered sauce to the filling, so that the mixture is soft. Finally, grate the nutmeg and the lemon peel.
- Mix the dough well until you get a homogeneous mixture. It's time to start creating the balls with the filling, make sure you are precise!
INGREDIENTS for the capon broth
- Leg of capon: 1
- Brisket: 1
- Broth bone: 1
- Small onion: 1
- Celery coast: 1
- Carrot: 1
- Salt to taste.
PREPARATION broth
- The broth has a unique flavor and aroma. The beauty of cooking is that these recipes make it possible to evoke memories, to pass down traditions and savour a part of the meaning of life.
- So let's start with the preparation of capon broth for the cappelletti from the Marche region. The first tip is to prepare the broth the day before using it, this is so that the fatty part of the meat can solidify and be eliminated in time.
- After washing the vegetables and peeling the carrots, remove the outer skin of the onion. Leave the vegetables whole and immerse them in a large pan by pouring about 3 liters of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. When the water boils, lower the cooking to low heat and let it cook for about 3 hours without stirring.
- After cooking, drain and filter the broth at least 3-4 times with a sieve. Leave to cool and, as mentioned at the beginning, put the broth in the refrigerator to divide the fat and eliminate it. The result should be a clear, fat-free broth, ready to welcome your freshly cooked cappelletti from the Marche region.
