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Malfattini in brodo (torn pasta soup)

A heart soup that hails from Emilia-Romagna.

By Emma Knowles & Lisa Featherby
  • 30 mins preparation
  • 15 mins cooking plus resting, drying, making stock
  • Serves 4
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Torn pasta soup (malfattini in brodo)
This hearty soup hails from Emilia-Romagna and is thick with handmade pasta. If you're not inclined towards pasta-making, you can always use shop-bought dried pasta - just break up handfuls of fettuccine or spaghetti, but allow additional cooking time. You may need to add extra stock too.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 each onion, carrot, celery stalk and leek, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 500 gm finely chopped mixed greens, such as spinach, witlof, chicory and cos lettuce
  • 1.5 litres chicken stock (6 cups)
  • To serve: finely grated parmesan and extra-virgin olive oil
Pasta dough
  • 120 gm "00" flour
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • ½ tsp finely grated nutmeg

Method

Main
  • 1
    For pasta dough, process ingredients and ½ tsp salt in a food processor to just combine. Add 1 tbsp cold water and process until a dough forms, turn onto a work surface and knead until smooth, cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • 2
    Halve pasta dough, then, working with one piece at a time, feed dough through rollers, starting at widest setting and flouring and folding pasta as you go, reducing settings notch by notch until pasta is smooth and 2mm thick. Set aside on a lightly floured surface to partly dry (1 hour). Cut into thin rough strips, then stand until dried (1 hour).
  • 3
    Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion, carrot, celery, leek and garlic and stir occasionally until very tender (6-8 minutes). Add greens and stir occasionally until just tender (4-5 minutes), then add stock and bring to the boil. Season to taste, add pasta and cook until al dente (1-2 minutes). Serve hot, scattered with plenty of parmesan and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil.