Ciao a tutti!

It’s January therefore it's cold in our northern hemisphere, even in Italy! We've been thinking about that warming, filling dish that is a staple in cuisines around the world - brodo or bone broth. Brodo is a wonderful one dish meal or perfect starter. A winter favorite in Italy, each region seems to have their own signature soup based on brodo. In Emilia Romagna, brodo is served with small, meat-filled tortellini. Elsewhere in Italy, they might make a crepe filled with grated parmigiano and pepper, then placed at the bottom of the bowl of broth. Even easier is brodo served with tiny pasta and a good grating of parmigiano. Really simple and delicious! Below is more on brodo and a recipe, so read on!

We have some last minute openings in our spring tours! May 17-24 in Bologna/Emilia Romagna there in one room open (single or double, one room) and in our Veneto tour May 26-June 2 one room just became available yesterday! Also, in our Puglia tour Sept 18-25 we have an opening there! Check out details on the 2024 tours we offer on our website.

Speaking of our trip to Emilia Romagna, we are excited to be offering this year a full week in this split region! If you've ever wanted to experience the most iconic foods of Italy, this is your chance! Due to a last minute cancellation we have one opening for a single or double room on this tour. In Emilia we will visit the food centric cities of Bologna, Parma and Modena, and visit food producers of parmigiano, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar. Then we spend 3 days in Romagna where we'll stay on gorgeous wine estate and visit artisan ceramic and wood-block-stamped linen productions. Also not to be missed is the ancient city of Ravenna with its 3rd Century Byzantine mosaics. You haven't truly experienced Italy until you've seen this region!

As we begin this new year, we are energized to have so many returning clients this year and many new ones too! We appreciate you all. And a big Grazie Mille to you all for reading our newsletter, keeping in touch and having us be a part of your inbox and journey!

Buon appetito!

Gina and Mary

BRODO or broth

Knowing how to make a good broth is key to being a good cook. Homemade broth is easy and so much better than anything you can buy, either canned or boxed. It requires very little effort for spectacular results. Broth is versatile and can be added to soups and stews for additional flavor or served on its own for a delicious warming dish.

Bone broth has gotten a lot of attention in the past few years. Great for your health and especially restorative in winter, “bone broth” just means a broth made with the bones of chicken or beef. When bones aren’t used, it’s called stock. Those are culinary terms that don’t need to be confusing!

A winter favorite in Italy, brodo is served with small meat-filled tortellini in Emilia Romagna. Other areas of Italy make crespelle in brodo, a crepe rolled up and covered with clear broth. Common to all of Italy, brodo is often served with tiny pasta shapes and a good grating of parmigiano. Really simple and really delicious!

The brodo can also be served as a first course and then followed by a second course of the boiled meats used to make it. Drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, the boiled meat and vegetables make for a truly comforting meal.

Here is the best way to make a lovely rich and clear broth. I prefer to use both chicken and beef but whichever you choose, make sure you use the bones for the best flavor.

½ chicken, whole or cut up

2 beef short ribs

2 carrots, cleaned and cut into chunks

2 celery ribs, cleaned and cut into pieces

1 onion, cut in half

1 whole tomato

10 peppercorns

2 sprigs of parsley

1 bay leaf

Sea salt

Parmigiano rind, optional

Place the meat in a large stock pot, cover with water and bring to a simmer. As soon as it starts simmering, remove the meat pieces and rinse them. Discard the water in the pot and wash the pot clean. Put the meat back in the pot, along with the vegetables and cover with lots of water. Place the pot on the stove and let it simmer very slowly on a low heat for 2-3 hours. Do NOT let it boil. Add sea salt halfway through cooking.

When the broth has cooked long enough, turn off the heat and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. This allows any solids that were suspended during cooking to settle. Using a soup ladle, very carefully, without stirring the contents of the pot, ladle the clear broth into a smaller pot or plastic container for later use. Once you have removed most of the liquid, you can remove the meat. I like to eat the cooked carrots, but everything else can be strained and then discarded. The broth keeps in the fridge for up to a week or freeze immediately. Following here is a recipe to use your fantastic, healthy brodo!

Crespelle in Brodo

Good quality homemade bone broth

Crepes

Parmigiano

Parsley leaves

Crepes (makes 15)

1 cup AP flour

1 cup milk plus 2 tbsp

2 eggs

1 teas salt

1 tbsp melted butter

Grated nutmeg, about 1/8 teas

¼ teas white pepper

Melt butter in the non-stick pan you will make the crepes in.

Put flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a medium bowl, combine the milk and egg in a separate bowl and whisk in the butter. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry, whisking quickly to combine but don’t beat too long or the crepes will be tough. If the mixture is very lumpy, you can put it through a sieve to remove the lumps. 

Heat the small non-stick pan you’ve melted the butter in, take it in hand and put a scoop of batter into it, moving the pan around so the batter covers the bottom. If the batter is too thick to move, add additional water or milk until it is more liquid and moves in the pan better. It may take a couple of crepes before you get the hang of it! Just keep moving that pan to evenly distribute the batter.

Let the crepe cook until it is cooked through and no raw batter remains on top. Turn it with either a rubber spatula or your fingers and let the other side cook for 15-30 seconds. Take the crepe out of the pan and put in on a plate. You can stack the crepes on top of each other, they won’t stick.

Some people like their crepes golden brown, others like them more blonde. The color is up to your preference.

To Assemble and Serve

Place a crepe on your work surface and fill it with grated parmigiano cheese. Roll it up and place it in the bottom of the soup bowl. Sprinkle a few parsley leaves on top and fill the bowl with hot broth. You can also slice the crepes into strips, place them in the bowl with grated parmigiano and the parsley leaves and fill the bowl with broth. Top with grated parmigiano and serve. 

Buon Appetito!