Tortellini en brodo is a classic Italian comfort food featuring stuffed pasta swimming in a warm broth. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I tried a variation of it at Bonnie’s in Brooklyn, New York, serving up wun tun en brodo featuring seafood-stuffed wontons in a citrus-Parm broth. In the months following my experience there, I thought about that cozy broth a lot. And when the Resy cards weren’t in my favor one weeknight, I came up with this: a quick-fix dinner with fast flavor from savory chicken bouillon and punchy preserved lemon. The broth is the star here, and I’ll often swap out the tortellini for frozen gyoza and add a sprinkle of spring onion. Using a flavorful broth you’d be happy to drink is important when there are so few ingredients, and my-go to for broth in general is halal chicken bouillon cubes because they’re an easy-to-source halal option and keep for quite some time in the pantry. The preserved lemon, browned butter, lemon, garlic, and Parmesan do some heavy lifting, but starting strong is always a good idea. Instead of cheese tortellini, you can use another variety of tortellini, another small stuffed pasta, or frozen gyoza or wontons.
Recipe information
Total Time
35 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Melt ¼ cup (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter in a large pot over medium heat. Lay 1 small preserved lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed, across the bottom in an even layer. Cook until the butter begins to smell nutty and starts to brown, 3–5 minutes. Add the 3 garlic cloves, minced, stir to combine, and cook until fragrant and golden around the edges, another 2 minutes or so. Add 8 cups (1.9 L) drinkable chicken broth and stir to combine.
Step 2
Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add 1¼ lb. (570 g) fresh cheese tortellini and cook in the broth according to the package directions, usually 3–5 minutes.
Step 3
Divide the tortellini among bowls, pour over the broth, and serve with freshly cracked black pepper, a heap of grated Parmesan cheese, some lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon.
Recipe notes
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