Romagna, Emilia-Romagna
Romagna's most distinctive pasta: breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs, lemon zest, nutmeg, and a small amount of flour pressed through a special disc with large holes (the ferro per passatelli or a potato ricer) to form thick, rough-textured worms that are dropped directly into boiling capon or beef broth and served in the broth immediately after cooking. The texture is unique — not as smooth as gnocchi, not as chewy as pasta, but softer, with the bread providing a slight sponge-like give. Made only in the broth they will be served in.
Soft, yielding bread-and-cheese worms in a crystal-clear capon broth — the most nurturing, nourishing first course of the Emilian winter table
The breadcrumb-to-Parmigiano ratio is the technical key — roughly equal parts by weight, with enough egg to bind. The mixture must rest 30 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb the egg and become workable. The broth must be actively simmering when the passatelli are pressed in — they must cook immediately on contact with the hot liquid. They are done when they float to the surface and have stayed there for 1 minute.
The passatelli are pressed through the ferro directly over the pot of simmering broth — cut with a knife or the back of the press at 5-7cm lengths. Serve immediately (they stale and toughen within 10 minutes in the broth). The classic broth is capon (cappone) for the full Romagnolo winter experience. For a summer variant: serve the passatelli asciutti (dry) over a light tomato sauce — completely different experience from the broth version.
Mixture too wet — it pushes through the press before the holes are aligned over the broth and the passatelli fall apart. Not resting the mixture — un-hydrated breadcrumbs produce a grainy result. Pressing into cold or barely warm broth — they stick together and never separate into individual pieces. Overcooking — 2-3 minutes maximum from the time they float.
La Cucina Romagnola — Accademia Italiana della Cucina