Pastina in brodo

Pastina in brodo, tiny pasta cooked in broth, belongs to the home cooking of the whole peninsula and to no single region. It is given to children among their first solid foods and set before the sick, and for many Italians it remains the soup of comfort in adult life. The method is the cooking of small shapes such as stelline, acini di pepe, orzo and ditalini in a good homemade broth of meat, bones and vegetables, which supplies the whole flavour while the pasta gives small, starchy mouthfuls that carry it. The Roman variation with beaten egg, stracciatella, belongs to the same family of broth soups.

Homemade broth of chicken or beef, 1 litre, is brought to a gentle boil. Tiny pasta, 80 g of stelline, pastina, acini di pepe or similar, is added and cooked according to the packet timing, usually 6 to 8 minutes. The pot is taken off the heat and 2 to 3 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano are stirred in, so that the cheese melts into the hot broth, adding salt and a slight thickening. The soup is served at once. In the Roman variation, stracciatella, a beaten egg is stirred into the hot broth to set in ragged strands, and the Parmigiano is added after the egg.

Pastina in brodo is eaten on its own as a first course or as a light supper, and it asks for nothing beside it but good bread if anything. The flavours are broth and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the pasta contributes texture only. The broth must be homemade, golden, clear and deeply flavoured, because stock cubes or powder give a salty soup that tastes artificial. The cheese melts in part, adding richness, salt and a gentle stringiness. The soup is served hot, as the heat is part of its comfort. If a drink is wanted, plain water or a light, dry white wine suits it, since anything heavier would overpower so quiet a broth.