Tortellini en brodo (often misspelled in the U.S. as tortellini in brodo) is a classic Italian dish. Some Americans call it tortellini soup.

It is served as a first course—chicken broth with a few tortellini—or as a main dish packed with tortellini. It’s a cousin of dumpling and chicken soups from Jewish chicken soup with kreplach to Chinese wonton soup, not to mention American chicken-noodle soup.

While most Americans eat tortellini with a red or white sauce and grated Parmesan, en brodo is a lighter way to enjoy the little loops of pasta.

The dish, which originated in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna (more about that below), is warming in cold weather, but light enough to be summer fare. You can make it from scratch or purchase the components. Both the tortellini and the broth can be made ahead and reheated.

While a flavorful bowl of chicken broth and tasty tortellini are comfort food in any season, if you don’t add veggies and herb garnishes, you’re leaving a lot off the table.

 
 
CUSTOMIZE YOUR RECIPE

 
 
THE HISTORY OF TORTELLINI

Tortellini are made by filling long strips of pasta, rolling them into tubes and cutting individual pieces, which are pinched together with the thumb and forefinger.

The famous “loop” shape is said to be based on the belly button of the Venus, the Roman goddess of love.

One of the most famous versions of the legend, written in the 14th century, tells us that that Bacchus, Mars and Venus came down to earth to intervene in a 12th century war between Bologna and Modena (in Emilia-Romagna). They spent the night at an inn in Castelfranco, a small town located between the two cities.

In the morning, Bacchus and Mars arose early to visit the battle site. When Venus awoke and could not find her companions, she called for the innkeeper, who arrived to find the goddess of love naked.

Inspired by her navel, he created a new shape of pasta. (Seriously, Mr. Innkeeper—her navel inspired you?)

[1] Tortellini en brodo in family style, with fresh herbs and basic veggies—carrots, peas, celery (photo © Aas2009 | Dreamstime).

[2] Tortellini En Brodo goes upscale with an elegant broth, elegant vegetables and a fancy bowl (photo © Onda Restaurant | Santa Monica).

[3] Surf & Turf: meat tortellini with lobster (photo © Stake Chophouse | San Diego).

Tortellini are made in a size that fits easily onto a soup spoon. There is a recipe for tortelli, larger tortellini, that dates back to the 12th century. The first recipe for tortellini alla Bolognese, tomato and meat sauce, appeared in Bologna in 1550 and became a signature dish in that city. (Note that Tuscans also claim tortellini as their regional pasta.)

Tortellini en brodo was the traditional Christmas soup, made with capon broth, which was favored by the ruling classes. The broth was made rich by cooking all the meat in it. The meat was then turned into a stuffing with Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto crudo and/or mortadella.

Today you can find tortellini filled with everything from cheese blends to meat and cheese to pumpkin.

February 13th is National Tortellini Day.
 
 
THE CULINARY LEGACY OF EMILIA-ROMAGNA

If you love great Italian food, consider a trip to Emilia-Romagna. In addition to tortellini, it’s the birthplace of, among other culinary pearls:

This popcorn fudge recipe was a hit at our Memorial Day festivities.

A fun recipe from Betty Crocker, it incorporates a dulce de leche fudge layer, salted caramel and caramel popcorn.

Be sure to use caramel popcorn that is really well coated with a hard sugar glaze, to prevent the popcorn from getting soggy.

Below:

> The triple caramel fudge recipe

> The year’s 5 fudge holidays.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of fudge.

> The year’s 60+ candy holidays.

> Recipes for World Dulce de Leche Day.

 
 
RECIPE: TRIPLE CARAMEL POPCORN FUDGE

Prep time is 15 minutes, total time is 1 hour 40 minutes.

You can purchase dulce de leche, or make it easily by heating a can of sweetened, condensed milk.

Ingredients For 64 Pieces

Fudge Layer

 
Caramel Layer

 
Preparation

1. LINE bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with foil, leaving edges of foil hanging over 2 sides of pan for easy removal later; spray foil with cooking spray.

2. HEAT the dulce de leche and chocolate chips in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth (the mixture will be very thick). Remove from heat. Quickly stir in the vanilla. Stir in 2 cups of the caramel popcorn, and spread the mixture in the pan.

3. MICROWAVE the caramels and cream uncovered in a medium microwavable bowl, on High for 2 minutes. Stir every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Very slowly pour the caramel mixture over the fudge layer, and gently spread it to cover the top. Sprinkle the top with salt and 1 1/2 cups of caramel popcorn; press gently so it sticks.

4. REFRIGERATE until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares (8 rows by 8 rows). Store covered in refrigerator.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 5* FUDGE HOLIDAYS

 
 
 
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*Yell “Fudge” at the Cobras in North America Day is a bizarre holiday on June 2nd, dreamed up in the early 1990s by renowned bizarre holiday creators Thomas and Ruth Roy of Wellcat Holidays. They have dedicated this holiday to cobras slithering north toward North America. According to the Roys, cobras hate the scent and taste of fudge, and the mere mention of the word gets the cobras to gag and slither away. On June 2nd, at noon local time, people from North America go outside, face south, and yell “fudge,” then eat a piece of fudge. Did we need this ritual? There are no true cobras native to North America. The Eastern coral snakes of the southeastern U.S. are also known as American Cobras, but they’re not real cobras. Perhaps we should create a holiday that gets the Roys to stop creating holidays.

[2] A three-in-one treat: chocolate, caramel and popcorn (photo © Karolina Kolodziejczak | Unsplash).

[3] Make dulce de leche by heating a can of sweetened condensed milk. Here’s the recipe (Abacus Photo).

[4] The third part of “triple caramel” (Abacus Photo).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Reigniting the Spark: Outdoor Cooking Still Hot

 
Tasty Trends: It’s All About the Meat

Treat yourself to extra-long tongs. These are from Sur La Table.

Household Roles: Male or Female, Everybody Grills

Do you use olive oil when grilling? Perhaps you shouldn’t. Olive oil has a lower smoke point than other oils, so it will burn faster.

Each fat (including butter, lard, oil and shortening) has a particular smoke point, which is the temperature at which the fat begins to break down. At this point, both the flavor and the nutritional value of the fat begin to degrade; and the fat will eventually smoke and burn if kept on the heat.

The higher the cooking heat, the higher smoke point your fat must be. That’s why grapeseed oil (485°F), soybean oil (490°F) and safflower oil (510°F) are so popular for deep fat frying, the highest heat of stovetop cooking.

While extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of 440°F, few people would use this pricey oil for grilling. Much of the regular olive oil has a smoke point of just 320°F.

Here are some comparative smoke points:

440°F:
Peanut Oil
Sunflower Oil

450°F:
Corn Oil (Refined)
High-Oleic Sunflower Oil (Refined)
Palm Oil
Peanut Oil (Refined)
Safflower Oil (Refined)
Sesame Oil (Semi-Refined)
Soybean Oil (Refined)
Sunflower Oil (Semi-refined, Refined, High Oleic, Refined)
Vegetable Shortening

468°F:
Olive Oil, Extra Light

485+:
485°F: Grapeseed Oil
485°F: Tea Seed Oil
490°F: Rice Bran Oil
495°F: Soybean Oil
510°F: Safflower Oil
520°F: Avocado Oil (Refined)

MORE ABOUT THE SMOKE POINT

Why your fats smoke and burn, or not: What’s the smoke point?

 
CHART OF SMOKE POINTS OF OILS

Different oils have different uses in smoke points. Here are the comparative smoke points of most oils.

Three-pea salad. Photo © Hannah Kaminsky
| Bittersweet Blog.

Says Hannah:

“Spring is on my mind, driving me to the point of distraction. Longer, brighter days captivate me while simultaneously throwing of my finely tuned rhythm, and the influx of fresh, vibrant produce easily overwhelms my senses. What to eat first? Where to go, what to do?”

The best cure for seasonal disorientation is immersion, so let’s jump right in and celebrate the other reason for my pea-brained state: Peas! In all their green glory, this simple salad combines snow peas, pea shoots, and English peas to showcase their myriad textures, flavors, and shapes. The rather silly, rhyming title doesn’t do this combination fully justice, but was unavoidable thanks to the matcha tea-infused dressing, lending equal parts bitterness and sweetness to the blend.

RECIPE: THREE PEA SALAD WITH MATCHA TEA DRESSING

Ingredients For 3-4 Servings

 
Green Tea Dressing

Preparation

1. TOSS the sliced snow peas, pea shoots and English peas together in a large bowl.

2. WHISK together in a small bowl all of the ingredients for the green tea dressing. Beat the mixture thoroughly until smooth.

3. POUR dressing over the vegetables, tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.