Duplicating the taste of "fowl"

[thecuriousone]

HI All-

I am making tortellini in brodo for New Years and all of the recipes call for "Fowl". My question is whether or not there are tricks I could use to approximate the taste with a fryer.

Can I use chicken thighs?, use a roaster? Cut the fryer up and partially roast it?

Thanks for any suggestons.

[slkinsey]

I think it is unlikely that what this recipe calls for is "guinea fowl" (known as faraona in Italian). Rather, it is calling for a "fowl," meaning "a cock or hen of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) ; especially : an adult hen" (see: Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, 11th Edition). Which is to say that you'll be just fine using a fryer, although as usual you would get more flavor out of a more mature chicken.

Edited December 21, 2008 by slkinsey (log)

[Arey]

You can use a stewing hen if you can find one. In the Philadelphia area I'd try the Italian Market, Reading Terminal, Chinatown or any Asian supermarket. Years ago some egg farmers would sell their hens that were no longer productive but even in the sixties that practice was being driven extinct by all the regulations, and laws on the county, state and federal level.

ed. for spelling

Edited December 21, 2008 by Arey (log)

[Alessia]

Hi everyone

Curiosone, tortellini is traditionally eaten with capon broth (tortellini in brodo di cappone), so my guess would be that the translation of the recipe you have is a bit inaccurate.

By the way, I had to look up the word in English, but basically a capon is a rooster or cockerelwhose reproductive organs have been removed at a young age, it's fairly easy to find here around Christmas time

Edited December 22, 2008 by Alessia (log)

[jackal10]

Use as good a chicken as you can find and add a little soy sauce and madeira or sweet sherry for extra meatiness (umani) - about a tsp of each to a quart of stock

[thecuriousone]

Hi everyone

Curiosone, tortellini is traditionally eaten with capon broth (tortellini in brodo di cappone), so my guess would be that the translation of the recipe you have is a bit inaccurate.

By the way, I had to look up the word in English, but basically a capon is a rooster or cockerelwhose reproductive organs have been removed at a young age, it's fairly easy to find here around Christmas time

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Its interesting that you say that. I am following the recipe in the 12/08 Cucina Itialiano and the broth calls for chicken, been shank and chuck...........Hmmmmm

[Alessia]

Well, capon can only be found around Christmas (it's castrated around April and by Christmas time it's the right size - there is actually a legal number of days that need to pass), so during the rest of the year chicken and beef parts are used for the tortellini broth.

My family and I are having tortellini for Christmas - as most families here around the Bologna area, I hope I remember to take pics

[thecuriousone]

Hi everyone

Curiosone, tortellini is traditionally eaten with capon broth (tortellini in brodo di cappone), so my guess would be that the translation of the recipe you have is a bit inaccurate.

By the way, I had to look up the word in English, but basically a capon is a rooster or cockerelwhose reproductive organs have been removed at a young age, it's fairly easy to find here around Christmas time

←

Its interesting that you say that. I am following the recipe in the 12/08 Cucina Itialiano and the broth calls for chicken, been shank and chuck...........Hmmmmm

←

Oh please do, also what does your family stuff them with? the recipe I am working with includes mortadella, proscuitto, pork shoulder, nutmet parmesean, rosemary and sage. If this pretty typical?

[Alessia]

We don't use rosemary and sage for the stuffing, the rest of the ingredients are much like yours.

There is actually an "official recipe" for the stuffing which was registered at the Chamber of Commerce in Bologna (we take these things pretty seriously around here... LOL) on December 7th 1974 by the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino and the local delegation of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. Here it is:

100 g pork loin

100 g prosciutto

100 g mortadella

150 g Parmigiano Reggiano* (see note)

1 egg

nutmeg

*150 g is the right quantity if your parmigiano was matured for at least 3 years, if younger the quantity needs to be larger.

So, that's the "official" recipe, most family recipes are something like that, maybe with little changes here and there

[thecuriousone]

We don't use rosemary and sage for the stuffing, the rest of the ingredients are much like yours.

There is actually an "official recipe" for the stuffing which was registered at the Chamber of Commerce in Bologna (we take these things pretty seriously around here... LOL) on December 7th 1974 by the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino and the local delegation of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. Here it is:

100 g pork loin

100 g prosciutto

100 g mortadella

150 g Parmigiano Reggiano* (see note)

1 egg

nutmeg

*150 g is the right quantity if your parmigiano was matured for at least 3 years, if younger the quantity needs to be larger.

So, that's the "official" recipe, most family recipes are something like that, maybe with little changes here and there

←

At least I know I'm on the right track. One more question, if you dont mind. The recipe I'm using calls for 1.5 inch squares of pasta. This makes a reall small tortellini. Is it not keeping with tradition to make them larger or use the stuffing in a recipe for ravioli? Seeing as there is an "official" recipe, is there also an official Size? Also, I have leftover stuffing, will it develop an "off" taste I just pop the excess in the freezer or is it better to use all the stuffing and pop the completed tortellini in the freezer?

[Alessia]

1.5 inches sounds about right - and yes, they should be small (the legend says that the shape was inspired by Venus's belly button - I guess one would imagine Venus to have a small cute one! ).

I don't have my camera here right now, but tomorrow I'll post a picture of one next to a coin, just to give you an idea.

I think it would be best to freeze the completed tortellini as opposed to the stuffing alone. Just make sure that the pasta is completely dry before you freeze it, otherwise it might break when you cook it - when you're ready to use the frozen tortellini, just pop them in the boiling broth straight from the freezer. Hope that helps

Edited December 26, 2008 by Alessia (log)

[Alessia]

Ok, so here are a couple of photos. Sorry about the quality, definitely not my best work, but in my defense, I must say that my relatives don't really care about having decent pictures taken...

This is for size reference - a tortellino in between a dime and a quarter:

And here are a couple of plated tortellini in brodo (this is a very large portion):