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Pasta in Brodo
Pasta in Brodo (Pasta in Chicken Broth)
Originated from: Casacalenda, Molise, Italy
Occasion: Special events
Contributed by: Mary Melfi (her mother's recipe)

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Ingredients

Chicken broth [see recipe in "Traditional Meat Dishes"]

Special store-bought soup pastas such as "steline," mini ravioli, or home-made "sagnatelle" [see recipe]

Parmesan cheese for sprinkling




Directions

Prepare broth.

Cook pasta in boiling water.

Prepare bowls separately -- adding about half a cup of cooked soup pasta to each bowl.

Garnish individual soup bowls with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve warm.






Notes

According to this contributor's mother Southern Italians living in the countryside prior to World War II rarely made soups. While the local gentry and professional class living in the small towns in the South did prepare soup dishes for special events, including Christmas and Easter, generally speaking farmers did not. Soups were only made for weddings and baptisms. "Brodo di pollo" (chicken soup) was also made when someone was ill or a woman had just given birth. "Brodo di pollo" was believed to have medicinal value. Of course, one had to be really sick before a chicken would be slaughtered for the sole purpose of making soup out of it. So in that case it was really "chicken soup for the soul" as often that may have been the person's last meal. Also, whatever soups were served in Southern Italy (prior to World War II) were limited in variety. Most households served "brodo di pollo" with pasta in it or beef broth with pieces of stewed meat. Of course, they made "minestrone" for everyday consumption, but that wasn't considered a soup, it was considered a main meal -- a sort of vegetable stew. Any soup whose stock did not include fresh chicken meat or beef was classified as everyday food, and not worth much. Nowadays North Americans of Italian descent serve soups all the time and their soups vary in content and texture. While second and third generation Italians enjoy the new flavors, older Italians are often repulsed by soups that include milk or cream. "Brodo di pollo" is their idea of what a soup should be. Photo: Mary Melfi.

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