Littlestuffedhatsinbroth Recipes

CAPPELLETTI ("LITTLE HATS" OF FILLED PASTA) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the chicken.
• Let cool and then cut into small chunks.
• Using a food processor or blender , combine the sautéed chicken, ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, whole egg, egg yolk, nutmeg, lemon zest (if using), and salt and pepper to form a fine paste. (If the ricotta is very soft, leave out the egg white and use just 2 yolks instead. If, on the other hand, the mixture is too stiff, add an extra egg yolk.)
• Gather the ingredients.
• Make a mound with the flour on your work surface and form a well in the middle.
• Crack the eggs into the center of the well and add the salt.
• Work the eggs and the flour together with your hands until you have a smooth dough , adding just a few drops of water, if necessary, and no more.
• Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is smooth, firm, and quite elastic. Don't skimp on the kneading or the dough will tear while you're rolling it out.
• Separate the dough into 2 pieces.
• Flour your work surface (marble countertops are ideal for this, though wood or Formica work as well) and start to roll out the dough, rolling out from the middle, flipping it over occasionally, and flouring it as necessary to keep it from sticking.
• Keep on flipping and rolling until you have a sheet that's almost transparent-as thin as a dime or thinner if you can manage it, as the pasta will almost double in thickness while cooking.
• Once you've rolled out a thin sheet of pasta on a well-floured surface, use a round cookie cutter (you could also use a round or square raviolo stamp or a fluted-edge rolling pasta cutter) to cut out 2-inch-diameter circles of dough.
• Place 1 level teaspoon of stuffing in the middle of each circle.
• Using your fingertip or a pastry brush , moisten the edges of the circle with a little water so they will seal.
• Fold the circles in half over the filling to form half moons, pressing down with your fingers to seal the edge.
• Then pull the two corners towards each other, overlapping one over the other, and press down on the tips to help them adhere together.
• Continue until all of the cappelletti are made.
• Boil the pasta in either broth or water for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how you'd like to serve the cappelletti, and serve.

OLD FASHIONED STUFFING

Steps:

• Allow the toasted bread to sit approximately 24 hours, until hard.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Crush the bread into crumbs with a rolling pin. Place the crumbs in a large bowl.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery and slowly cook until soft. Remove from heat and drain.
• Mix the eggs and chicken broth into the bread crumbs. The mixture should be moist, but not mushy. Use water, if necessary, to attain desired consistency. Mix in the onion, celery, rubbed sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Press the mixture into the baking dish. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the top is brown and crisp.

LITTLE STUFFED HATS IN BROTH

Steps:

• Pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add a little salt and pepper to taste, then drop in the pasta.
• Stir well to separate the pasta and bring back to a boil.
• Lower the heat to a simmer and cook according to the package instructions, until the pasta is al dente. Stir frequently during cooking to ensure the pasta cooks evenly.
• Swirl in the wine and parsley (if using) and taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Ladle into warmed soup plates, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.
• NOTE: Cappelletti is very similar to tortellini; if you can't find cappelletti, tortellini would be a good substitution. You can buy them ready-made (frozen or fresh) or make your own. Use a miniature version if you can find it.