Quadrucci in Brodo are one of those homemade pasta-in-broth dishes that, for me, tell the story of Christmas better than any elaborate menu.
Time and time again I am asked what I will be cooking for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The truth is that I don’t always know in advance. What I do know is that, in keeping with Italian tradition, Christmas Eve is usually reserved for fish, while Christmas Day gives me the opportunity to cook something a little special — often a dish I don’t prepare very often.
Over the years, this has included pasta with sea urchin (ricci), bottarga, squid cooked in its black ink, or dishes featuring crayfish or crab. (Links to these recipes appear at the bottom of this post.)
What was consistent in my immediate family, however, was brodo. Because Christmas Eve was often a substantial meal, Christmas Day lunch tended to be lighter, and a clear, nourishing broth was the natural way to begin.
DISCOVERING QUADRUCCI IN BRODO
I first discovered Quadrucci in Brodo in 1984, when Giuliano Bugialli’s book The Taste of Italy was published. Bugialli refers to this pasta as quadrucci — small squares. A quadro in Italian simply means “square”.
In his recipe, Bugialli suggests making the broth with turkey meat and bones. On this occasion, however, I had a strong duck stock in the freezer, made from the carcass after removing the breasts and legs for another dish. It worked beautifully — but any good, well-flavoured broth will do.
Bugialli describes Quadrucci in Brodo as a representative dish from Puglia, although he himself was Florentine. As is often the case with Italian cooking, dishes like this cross regional boundaries, especially when they rely on simple ingredients and careful technique.
MAKING QUADRUCCI AT HOME
Because there were only three of us eating, I wanted to make a small quantity of pasta. I used a rolling pin rather than my pasta machine — I was in a hurry and didn’t want the extra washing up.
The pasta dough was rolled very thin and layered with whole parsley leaves, then folded and rolled again so that the parsley became embedded in the dough. The pasta was then cut into small squares.
Once cooked in the broth, the effect is striking: delicate pasta squares with parsley visible inside, resembling fine embroidery. It is simple food, but undeniably elegant.
A LIGHT, AUSTRALIAN CHRISTMAS TOUCH
Because asparagus was in season, I added a small amount to the broth to give the dish a lighter, summery feel — perfect for an Australian Christmas. It lifted the dish without overpowering it, allowing the clarity of the broth and the handmade pasta to remain the focus.
Sometimes the most memorable Christmas dishes are not the most elaborate, but those that reflect tradition, restraint, and care.
WHAT I DID
- good meat broth, fat skimmed off, solids passed through a fine mesh strainer,
- sprigs of Italian parsley (I also tried some with basil leaves),
- home-made pasta = *1 large egg per 100 grams of hard flour (like unbleached, bread making flour, high in protein) is sufficient for 3 persons. Double or triple accordingly.
Sift the flour and place it in a large bowl or on a bench (depending how you like to mix flour to make into a dough).
Make a well in the centre and add the egg and a little salt.
Begin to knead with your fingers; I begin by adding flour from the edges into the centre. Mix everything well. At this stage you may need to add a little bit more of flour if the mixture is too wet or a tiny bit of water if it is too dry. This is because of the differences in the size of the eggs and the absorbency of the flour. Work the dough till the pasta feels elastic.
Shape the dough into a ball, cover it (cloth or plastic wrap) and leave it for about one hour.
Using a rolling pin (or a pasta machine especially if making greater quantities) roll/ stretch the pasta quite thin.
Place whole parsley leaves on top of half the length of the layer of pasta. Fold the other half of the layer of pasta over the parsley, and press the layers together.
Roll it again until it is very thin and you will see the parsley through the top layer of the pasta – sandwiched in the centre and looking like embroidery. I also used basil leaves for some quadri (squares).
Cut the pasta into squares ( like ravioli). These do not need to be of regular size and shape. trim off irregular bits of pasta.
Bring the broth to a boil and add the pasta squares. Cook for 1-3 minutes- they will rise to the surface when cooked.
Once I added the pasta to the broth I added the asparagus. The ingredients were cooked in a very short time.
This is what my version looked like:
BUGIALLI’S RECIPE OF QUADRUCCI IN BRODO
FOR THE BROTH:
900g/2lbs dark turkey meat, with bones
1 medium-sized red onion, peeled
1 stick celery
1 medium-sized carrot, scraped
1 medium-sized clove garlic, peeled but left whole
1 cherry tomato
4 sprigs Italian parsley
3 extra large egg whites
coarse-grained salt
FOR THE PASTA:
40g (1 1/2 oz) (1/2 cup) freshly grated Parmesan
5 eggs
pinch of salt
6 twists black pepper
450g (1 lb) (3 1/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
30 sprigs Italian flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
Prepare the broth: put the turkey, coarse-grained salt to taste, the whole onion, celery, carrot, garlic, tomato, and parsley sprigs in a large stockpot. Cover with cold water and put the pot over medium heat, uncovered. Simmer for 2 hours, skimming off foam from the top.
Remove the meat from the pot and reserve it for another dish. Pass the rest of the contents of the pot through a fine strainer into a large bowl, to remove the vegetables and impurities. Let the broth cool, then place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight to allow the fat to rise to the top and solidify.
Use a metal spatula to remove the solidified fat then clarify the broth. Pour 4 tablespoons of the broth into a small bowl and mix it with the egg whites. Pour the broth and egg white mixture into the rest of the cold broth and whisk very well. Transfer the broth to a pot and place it on the edge of a burner. Bring to the simmering stage, half covered, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the egg whites rise to the top with the impurities, and the broth becomes transparent.
Meanwhile, place a clean, wet cotton tea towel in the freezer for 5 minutes. Then stretch the tea towel over a colander and strain the broth through it to clarify it completely. The broth should be absolutely clear.
Prepare the pasta with the ingredients listed, placing the grated Parmesan, salt, pepper, and eggs in the well in the flour. With much care and patience, gradually work the eggs into the flour until you have a slab of dough. Shape this into a ball and leave under a towel or in cling film (plastic wrap) to rest.
Stretch the pasta as thinly as possible by hand or with the pasta machine. Place the whole parsley leaves on top of half the length of the layer of pasta. Fold the other half of the layer of pasta over the parsley, and press the layers together. Continue to roll out the layer of pasta until it is very thin. Using a scalloped pastry cutter, cut the pasta into squares of about 5cm/2in.
Bring the broth to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for 1-3 minutes, depending on how dry the pasta is. Serve hot, without adding cheese, which would spoil its purity.
This is what Bugialli’s pasta looked like. With a little more effort and a pasta machine, mine will look like that too, next time.
Other recipes mentioned in this blog.
For first course I may cook:
SPAGHETTI WITH CRAYFISH OR CRAB
