Olive Tortellini in Parmesan-Basil Broth

From Brad Bornac

[Ed: Fresh, light, and full of surprises, just like a newborn, if not as cute. This soup, says Brad, “Is basically a multilevel tribute: part memory from my childhood, part celebration of my new daughter. There is an omnipresent dish in restaurants and homes where I grew up, that we call ‘Ravs in Broth,’ despite the fact that it is actually tortellini (and not ravioli) in chicken broth. I just had a daughter last week that we named Olive, so I wanted to incorporate olives somehow. So, here is the approximate recipe.”]

Ingredients

Tortellini:

15 ounces fresh ricotta

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs

1 cup chopped kalamata olives, chopped

1/2 cup roasted garlic, chopped

1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

1/2 cup basil, chopped

2 packages wonton wrappers

salt

pepper

Broth:

4 quarts low-sodium chicken broth

2 pounds Parmesan rinds

3 cups basil

1 cup Italian parsley

salt

pepper

Preparation

In a large bowl, whip ricotta until fluffy, then fold in eggs and cheese until fully incorporated. Add all other ingredients, and mix until just blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lay out wonton wrappers in small batches, and each with about a teaspoon of olive filling. Fold in half, corner to corner, sealing edges with water; then roll ends together to form tortellini. Dust with semolina flour to prevent sticking, then chill or freeze when batch is complete.

Meanwhile in a large stock pot, heat broth to a simmer, and add Parmesan rinds and 2 cups of the basil. Simmer on low for about 1-1 1/2 hours, or until any remaining cheese has cooked off the rinds. Strain the broth and return to pot. Chop the remaining basil and the parsley, and and to stock along with the tortellini. Simmer until the pasta is just cooked, 5-10 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Posted: Thursday Apr 22,2010 09:14 AM In Soup Recipes