It's All About the Brodo

  I went to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy a few years ago.  One of the best dishes I had was in a small town outside of Modena - a traditional dish of sausage tortellini floating in a clear chicken broth known as brodo.  The simple, clear broth was made with capon and exploded with chicken flavor.  It was invigorating - I must of had bowls and bowls of it during the trip.  The brodo made me feel amazing - full of life and energy. 

I have been making this style of brodo frequently at home - it's easy and makes everyone feel better on a cold day.  While having a beer together after a long night of work in his Tuscan restaurant, I told Chef Claudio that this brodo from Emilia-Romagna was the best I ever had.  He snapped to life with excitement.  He believed the Tuscan brodo was even better.  He promised to make it for me the next day.

He had some stiff competition.  While in Umbria a few days earlier, Uncle Beef and I made a chicken broth from the local chickens.  As you can see by the photo of the chicken, the chickens all over Tuscany and Umbria were yellow and skinny, not pale and full of hormones. The taste of the local chicken exploded with flavor - it became clear to me why the brodo in Italy is so great.  We made a big pot of it in Umbria, which was phenominal.

As the Tuscan chef made his brodo for me, I was surpised when he took me through the ingredients he'd be using.  He not only used chicken bones, but also beef bones from the shoulder cut, as well as a whole tongue.  Yow.  The chef simmered his brodo for about 1.5 hours then strained it carefully.  The combination of meats created a rich brodo that had deep, meaty qualities -very nice indeed.   But what I tend to enjoy about brodo is the burst of a dominant flavor that comes through from the broth.  What can I say - I guess I prefer the pure expression of chicken rather than a mix of meats.

So what did I do when the first chill hit NYC? You guessed it.  But I decided to make the Emilia-style brodo as I think it's flawless.  I usually make a huge pot of brodo and use it in any dish that would call for stock, but I especially like it as part of a simple meal after work or as a homey treat for football Sundays. 

My favorite preparation features pastina - small pasta like grains - and little meatballs.  I hope I can entice you to make brodo with this shot of a juicy meatball swimming in the brodo.  If that doesn't work, I can tempt you with my recipe, which follows the jump....

Ingredient Shopping List
Recipe generously serves two to three people with leftovers of broth to serve as many as six.  I like to make brodo and eat it over the course of a few nights - it has so many uses.

Three packages of chicken soup bones or bones from a whole chicken (see below)
1 package of ground beef/pork/veal combo (see below)
1 box pastina (see below)
1 wedge of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 bunch fresh parsley
2 carrots, 1 stalk celery
1 medium/large onion
bay leaves
whole peppercorns
1 large clove garlic
1 can of plain bread crumbs
kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 eggs
unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil
1 bottle vegetable oil

Shopping for the Ingredients
You can find chicken soup bones pre-packed in most decent markets in the city. Fairway in NYC has Murray's free range fresh bones for a whopping .69 cents for most packages. Pastina is also very easy to find in your pasta aisle.

Put the Brodo on to Simmer
Preparing the brodo only takes a few minutes, but you need three hours for it to be perfect. The two most important things you need to do while it is simmering is 1) never touch or stir the chicken until it's done 2) don't let it boil. These two things will not result in a clear brodo. It's hardly the end of the world if it's not clear, but the clear texture of the broth makes it that much better. So that being said....

Peel the carrots and chop into rough medium sized chunks. Do the same for the onion and celery. Take out your bay leaves and have your whole black pepper and kosher salt ready. Add a glug of olive oil to the bottom of a large pasta type pot and turn on heat to medium (a six quart pot is ideal for this recipe).

Next, get your chicken ready - season with kosher salt and get ready to add to the pot. Add the chopped onion, carrot, two bay leaves, a sprinkle of black peppercorns and a pinch of salt to the oil. Let sweat (but not brown) for 3 or 4 minutes, just until the onion is translucent.

Add all of your chicken to the pot. Fill the pot with cold water until barely covering the chicken. You should not have the chicken fully submerged in water or you will have a diluted stock. Turn the heat onto medium low. Check back on your brodo occasionally to monitor the simmering. If you see frequent and violent bubbling, turn it to low.

Strain the Brodo
It?s three hours and your apartment smells of a fragrant chicken broth. Turn off the heat and let it steep and cool for about 20 minutes. After that, you?ll need to strain the broth. There are a couple ways to do that. The best is with a fine meshed chinois. They come with a stand and are very easy to use. You can also set up a colander in the sink on top of another pot or large glass bowl to strain the large chicken pieces. You should then strain the remaining broth through a small hand-held fine mesh strainer in batches into another large container (to ensure a clear stock). The large chinois allows you to do this all at the same time.

Skim the Brodo
Once the broth has been strained, let it rest in your large bowl or pot. Most of the fat will naturally rise to the top of the broth. With a large ladle, skim the oil and fat off of the broth. The fat should turn out to be at least an inch of brodo from the top - you'll be able to notice the difference in color if you are using a see-through container.

Form the Meatballs
Chop about handful or fresh parsley. Grate about a cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano. Take out one egg and your can of breadcrumbs.

Line a large baking pan with tin foil.

Take one half of each of the three meats and place in a medium sized bowl. Crack the egg into the bowl. Add the parsley and the cheese to the meat in bowl. Season with two pinches salt some ground pepper. Add three tablespoons of the breadcrumbs to the meat mixture and mix with your hands until incorporated into a large ball.

Grab small amount of mixture and form into small golf ball sized balls. This size will allow you to get a nice exterior without overcooking. Line them into your pan.  You can make these in advance of  serving - jist set in your fridge to await cooking. 

Fry the Meatballs
Fill a small saucepan half way with the vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium and get it hot for about 3-4 minutes. While you wait, take a handful of bread crumbs and sprinkle a thin layer on the meatballs in the baking pan. This will add a final layer of crunchiness.

Check the heat of the oil by dropping in pinch of your bread crumbs.  Add the meatballs-  do not overcrowd in the oil or they will take longer to cook and get soggy. They should be submerged in the oil. Fry them for about 2 minutes until golden and place onto nearby paper towels. You are not trying to cook them through - just a little more than half way - as they will finish in the hot broth.

Season them liberally with salt as soon as you take them out, so the salt permeates the ball. Finish the rest of the meatballs in batches. 

Make the Pastina
Get 2 cups of well salted water or lightly salted stock up to a boil and add about 2 cups of pastina to the liquid. Cook for about 3 minutes and drain. Place back into your drained pot and add a few pinches or salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a large handful of the grated parm regg cheese. Mix together and set aside.

Finish the Dish
Get a large handful of cheese and a bit of chopped parsley ready to finish the dish.

Add about two large ladles of the broth per person into a small saucepot and warm. When warm, check for seasoning. Add salt, pepper and one small pat of unsalted butter. Heat until incorporated. Add the meatballs (about 5-7 for hungry people) and some of the chopped parsley.

Place a mound of pastina into a bowl. Ladle the broth around the pastina. Place meatballs around the pastina and add a handlful of the cheese to each dish.

Comments

[Michael Dizon]

Great recipe. But what were the 6 eggs for? The recipe only uses 2.

[joe]

thanks for catching this, michael. i revised the recipe, as only two eggs are needed.

[Sam]

Joe, how much chicken do you put in the pot??

[joe]

about 4 lbs of chicken bones. i just get in as much as i have and fill the water to just cover, as i rarely and precise about quantities.

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[shamela]

Do you use chicken or just bones? You mention salting and adding chicken, but it's not listed in the ingredients.

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