Cappelletti in Brodo

Documented in Bologna and Modena since at least the 14th century — a Boccaccio-era dowry list mentions them. The cappelletto shape (a 'little hat' tied at the brim) is older than the related Bolognese tortellino, which was codified in the 1970s as a tighter belly-button shape. The authentic Romagna filling is meatless ('di magro') — ricotta plus an unaged soft fresh cheese (raviggiolo or squacquerone) with Parmigiano, nutmeg and often lemon zest, the version Pellegrino Artusi codified as 'cappelletti all'uso di Romagna'; in Emilia it's enriched with pork, prosciutto and mortadella.

Documented in Bologna and Modena since at least the 14th century — a Boccaccio-era dowry list mentions them. Capon plus beef shin simmered six-plus hours, never boiled (boiling clouds the broth). Pasta cooks in the serving broth for the last three minutes so starch slightly thickens it.

Tiny pasta hats — about a fingertip wide — floating in a clear capon-and-beef broth. In Romagna the filling is cheese — ricotta, raviggiolo, Parmigiano, nutmeg, often lemon zest; the Emilian version is veal, prosciutto, mortadella, Parmigiano, nutmeg, ground fine. No sauce, no garnish; the broth must be amber-clear, almost see-through. Christmas-Day dish across Emilia and Romagna. The test: pasta should be tender but the hat must hold its peaked shape; if it slumps in the broth, the dough was over-rolled or the filling too wet.

The broth is the dish. Capon (a castrated rooster — fattier and more gelatinous than hen) plus beef shin, simmered six-plus hours, never boiled — boiling clouds the broth with emulsified fat. Skim every fifteen minutes the first hour. The pasta cooks directly in the serving broth for the last three minutes, which is how the broth thickens slightly with starch — cooking pasta separately in water and adding it gives a thinner, less seasoned bowl.