Anolini in Brodo

Anolini are Parma's contribution to the Emilian filled-pasta-in-broth tradition — small, round or half-moon shaped pasta filled with a stracotto (long-braised beef) and Parmigiano-Reggiano mixture, served floating in a rich beef and capon broth. They are distinct from both Bologna's tortellini and Romagna's cappelletti in shape, filling, and technique. The filling begins with a stracotto — beef braised for 4-6 hours in red wine (Lambrusco or another local wine) with aromatics until it falls apart into soft, concentrated shreds. This braised meat is then finely chopped or processed, mixed with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, breadcrumbs soaked in broth, egg, and nutmeg. The resulting filling is dense, intensely meaty, and profoundly savoury. The forming uses small circles of sfoglia (3-4cm), a small amount of filling placed on one half, and the circle folded into a half-moon and sealed — though some Parmigiano families form them as full circles by placing two discs together. The broth for anolini in Parma is typically a long-simmered beef broth, sometimes enriched with a capon carcass, and must be completely clear. This is Christmas food in Parma — the broth started on Christmas Eve, the anolini formed communally by the family, and the dish served as the primo on Christmas Day. The technique of making the stracotto filling a day or two in advance, and forming the anolini the morning of service, reflects the slow, deliberate pace of Emilian festival cooking.