I’ve been a bit sick this week. Waking up with a cough in the middle of the night. I’ve been laying low, so I’ve made holiday recipes and watched Christmas movies. One thing that always makes me feel better is hot soup on a cold day. So, I remembered my frozen homemade lobster stock from this summer and decided to make a delicious Italian soup. One traditionally served at Christmas! Tortellini in brodo. Because I’m from Maine, I decided to make lobster tortellini in brodo with lobster stock and a rich lobster filling.

Seasonal Sickness

You know when the weather starts to change and you start to get sniffles, coughs, a runny nose? I’ve been trying to rest and drink lots of water. I’ve caught up on some TV shows and movies and made plenty of hot cups of tea. I watched The Substance, which was incredible. It was so bizarre and fascinating that it provided a welcome distraction. I also made a journey to get gas on a snowy morning when I couldn’t sleep. A friend sent me a box of Levain cookies for Christmas. My mom got a free $50 cheesecake from a co-worker. So, despite my physical health, the season has been festive and kind.

I made a big batch of soup on Monday with Italian sausage, potatoes, and kale. Not tortellini in brodo, but I was inspired by childhood trips to Olive Garden. And in Portugal one of my favorite foods was Caldo Verde, a very simple soup made of similar ingredients. Portuguese sausage, potatoes, and kale. Caldo Verde is blended before adding the kale, so the potatoes thicken and emulsify into the sausage fat and make a creamy soup. I freestyled my recipe and blended the potatoes after cooking in onion and chicken stock for a bit. It felt great to not follow a recipe and to not stop to photograph everything.

Homemade Lobster Stock

On Thursday I started next week’s recipe, before tackling my lobster tortellini in brodo. I encountered plenty of bumps and obstacles along the way and have learned a lot. Let’s just say my perfectionist side is getting the best of me, but boy am I excited to share what I created. Yesterday morning was sunny but cold. I decided to make soup to fight off my cold and to welcome the cold weather. But, I also wanted to make homemade pasta. So, I thawed my homemade lobster stock from when I made my lobster roll bao. I saved the ragged bodies and shells and cooked them down with water and onions, celery, and carrots, for a few hours. I strained them and froze stock in my reusable ice cream containers.

By 1 in the afternoon I finished lunch and thawed my stock by popping it into a hot pan in a large, orange brick. It melted quickly and filled the house with a beautifully pungent seafood smell, tempered by aromatics and spices. I let it cook down on medium while I tackled my homemade pasta project. I’ve had this one on my list to make for a long time, but I wanted to wait until it was cold outside. I visited Italy last year and didn’t make it to Bologna, which is on my list for the future. One of the main dishes I want to try there is tortellini in brodo. The perfect combination of rich homemade pasta with light, hot soup.

Lobster Tortellini in Brodo

The soup is traditionally served for Christmas and made with a meat filling. So, being from Maine, and having liquid gold lobster stock on hand, I decided to make a seafood version. I started by crafting a pasta dough, which I do mostly from feel at this point because I’ve made it so many times. I whisked eggs and a spoonful of tomato paste into my 00 flour and worked it into a dough. Then I kneaded it on the counter with all the strength I could muster for nearly 10 minutes. My goal was to create a dough that resembled the color of lobster shells, so I also added some red food coloring too.

Once I was happy with the dough I wrapped it and let it rest in the fridge. Then, I chopped up fresh lobster from a seafood market in town as small as I could. Then, I mixed it with ricotta, parmesan, a little lemon, garlic, and salt. I wanted the flavor of the lobster to be forward, so I also added a small splash of my lobster stock. It whipped up into a nice velvety consistency with fresh, diced pieces of lobster throughout. I transferred my mix into a piping bag to prepare for assembling the lobster tortellini. Then, I checked on my hot stock and took my dough out of the fridge.

Rolling + Shaping Pasta

I set up the old pasta machine with a squeaky handle on the edge of the powder blue counter. I cut my dough into 4 quarters and started by pressing one into a rectangle. Then, off to the pasta machine it went. I cranked it through on the 1 setting, then the 3, 5, and finally, 6. Normally I go to 7 but I wanted my pasta to have a little bite, especially since it would steep in hot soup. I was left with a long sheet of red pasta dough that I could see my fingertips through. I proceeded with a pizza cutter and cut out dozens of small, 2” square pasta shapes. Working fast to avoid them drying.

Shaping tortellini starts as an agonizing process, which feels like it’ll never end. Then, you get into a groove, wrapping the tails of dough around your finger, pressing and flicking the pieces onto your counter. Once my pasta shapes started to stack up, I placed them on a plate and turned the lobster stock up to a gentle boil. My goal was to make about 20 lobster tortellini for each person, so 60 total. For myself and my parents. By tortellini 40 I realized my broth was getting too hot, my filling needed to go into the fridge, and I needed to sit down. That’s been the theme of this week, putting my health first. Learning to rest.

Tasting the Lobster Soup

I drank a few swigs of water to reinvigorate myself. Daunted by a stack of dishes in the sink with many more to go. Then, I threw on my Birkenstocks and bounded back into the kitchen to tackle my lobster tortellini in brodo. I strained my stock through a paper towel-lined strainer into a pyrex bowl to get it crystal clear. I finished shaping my tortellini once I ran out of lobster filling. My red pasta scraps dried for another day. I carefully lowered my lobster tortellini into the steaming hot vat of dark gold lobster stock. They cooked for 3-4 minutes and floated like buoys. All that was left to do was to dish my soup into bowls. And eat.

I was really proud of the glistening, golden bowl of lobster soup. With red claw-like lobster tortellini, each handmade and hand-shaped. I love cooking that’s infused with hard work, dedication, and love. It makes each bite more special when you know you’ve given a part of yourself to creating something unusually special. I threw off my sweater and cozied up to my bowl of aromatic broth and parcels of lobster pasta. I blew on the steaming liquid for a few seconds and then dug in impatiently. The first taste was pure lobster essence. And scalding hot. The soup is perfectly balanced with a salt water essence and a strong base of lobster. You could drink it by itself. Then, I tasted the al dente curves of the tortellini.

Soup and Self Care

My lobster tortellini in brodo was perfectly cooked and had a slight chew. The dough is delicate and is thick enough to hold up to the stock and creamy filling. Which tastes almost like a rich lobster cheese sauce. The creamy cheese filling melts happily into the pool of stock. The whole thing is a comforting, hot, treat that I would be proud to serve to an Italian. On Christmas. I don’t know yet if it healed me, but it certainly enlivened my spirit. And senses.

This soup week was a sleepy, calm one, after a turbulent and emotional month. The past few days have been an excuse to indulge in self care during my favorite holiday season. I’ve eaten hot homemade soup for dinner and cookies for breakfast. Taken naps and listened to Christmas music on an old radio while decorating cookies. I’ve been able to slow down and not pressure myself to get work done. To pace myself. Maybe the only reason I’ve been more comfortable with it is because I’m sick. If I don’t have a reason to take care of my body, I push it too hard. But that’s not fair, or healthy, and I’m going to try to treat myself with the same care going forward.

Enjoying the Holidays

And I’m planning to continue enjoying soup throughout the winter. We’re only just getting started here, and we’ve already had a wind storm and lost power for a day. The roads have been slick and I’ve woken up to a white velvety blanket over the yard. Life is good. My body is bouncing back. And I’m feeling grateful to live in a place with such good food. How many people can just make lobster soup on a whim? My lobster tortellini in brodo turned out great. So, I would definitely encourage you to make it if you’re feeling determined to wow your family on Christmas. I’d recommend making the pasta and the stock ahead of time. Taking the pressure off.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoy my paintings and recipes, be sure to check out my Etsy for 25% off art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING. Happy holidays!

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Lobster Tortellini in Brodo

A Maine version of the classic Italian tortellini soup with lobster

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword lobster, pasta recipes, tortellini

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 pints lobster stock
• 2 cups 00 flour + more for dusting
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Red food dye
• 1 pound of fresh cooked lobster meat
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• 1/4 parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• A squeeze of fresh lemon

Instructions

• Heat lobster stock in a large stock pot over medium-low heat.
• In a large bowl, measure your flour and make an indention in the middle to hold the eggs.
• In a separate bowl, crack eggs and whisk with tomato paste into a cohesive liquid. Add red food coloring until you get a deep crimson red color.
• Pour egg mixture into flour and incorporate with a chopstick or fork. Then, once a shaggy dough starts to form, dump your mixture onto a clean counter and knead for 10-15 minutes. The dough should be elastic and cohesive and spring back when pressed.
• Wrap dough in plastic and transfer to fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, chop your lobster meat into a very small dice. Add to a bowl with ricotta, parmesan, salt, and lemon juice.
• Mix and transfer lobster and cheese filling to a piping bag. Chill until ready.
• Split your pasta dough into 4 portions and transfer 3 back to fridge to rest. Roll your first through pasta machine with a light dusting of flour on the widest setting to prepare.
• Roll your dough through each setting, 1-6, once, until you have a long, semi-translucent sheet of red dough. Dust with a light coating of flour.
• Cut your dough into 2” squares with a knife or pizza cutter. Pipe a very small 1/2 teaspoon portion of lobster filling onto each square.
• To form your tortellini, press each square over the lobster filling into a triangle. Then, wrap the two bottom corners of dough over your finger and press together to seal.
• Toss your tortellini with a light dusting of flour to prevent sticking while you finish shaping about 20 pieces for each portion.
• Turn your lobster stock up to medium-high until it simmers and bubbles. Boil your tortellini in the lobster stock for 3-5 minutes until al dente.
• Serve in bowls with 20 pieces of tortellini and a jacuzzi of lobster stock.