The Dish: Tortellini En Brodo from Wilder in Rittenhouse

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- We're making a dish that's famous in Northern Italy with so much love in it, it feels like someone is giving you a hug.

We went into the kitchen at Wilder in Rittenhouse to make tortellini en brodo. It's as delicious as it is beautiful.

"It's a combination of two different Italian classics," says Executive Cher Ryan LaFrance. "Tortellini en brodo is a classic soup. Tortellini is the shape of the pasta, and then brodo is broth."

Basically, it's tortellini soup, and it's steeped in Italian history.

The Dish: Tortellini En Brodo from Wilder

Tortellini, tiny hat-shaped pockets of filled pasta, are one of the most iconic and beloved dishes of Italy's Emilia- Romagna region.

The dish involves making homemade pasta, and cutting the sheets in small squares. You will stuff each one with a small portion of filling.

Wilder is known for it's quirky, fun vibe.

LaFrance has added his own touch of whimsy to his tortellini en brodo, infusing the flavors of another famous Italian dish: Veal saltimbocca.

"That's veal with sage wrapped in prosciutto and then pan fried," he explains.

He's using those flavors to make his tortellini filling.

"This is ground veal, ground prosciutto and sage," LaFrance says. "All of those flavors are ground in there and whipped with ricotta and egg."

Just mix it all together, and get rolling.

Wet one side of each sheet of pasta, so it sticks together. The fun part is, you can change these flavors to fit your own flavor profile.

"We need broth and we need tortellini," he says. "Those are the things that you're not changing, but everything else, you can change it to your preference. If you don't eat pork, you can do chicken. If you're a pescetarian, shrimp would be great."

You can also make it vegetarian.

Chef's broth is also veal based, reflecting those flavors of saltimbocca with hints of prosciutto and sage.

When plating it, he also adds escarole, first blanched and then sauteed with garlic and olive oil.

Tortellini En Brodo Recipe from Wilder:

Tortellini pasta dough:

Ingredients:

- 4 cups flour
- 3 whole eggs
- 3 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Sift flour into standard kitchen mixer
2. Combine egg yolks and whole eggs
3. With the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer and slowly drizzle in eggs until incorporated
4. Once incorporated, continue mixing for 5 more minutes
5. Transfer to countertop and knead by hand until a smooth ball is formed
6. Rest dough for 30 minutes
7. Roll out and cut into small squares
8. Fill with a small portion of saltimbocca filling and wet edges to close

Saltimbocca Filling:

Ingredients:

- 5 oz. ground veal
- 2 oz. ground prosciutto with skin removed
- 2 oz. of ricotta cheese
- 2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 sage leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Mix all ingredients in a blender well and roll into small, round portions.

Saltimbocca Brodo:

Ingredients:

- 4. veal stock (can use beef or chicken)
- 1 diced onion
- 5 cloves sliced garlic
- 3 oz. white wine
- 1/2 lb. diced prosciutto
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sage leaf

Directions:

1. Sear prosciutto in a pan until golden
2. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf and sage and let it sweat out for 2 minutes
3. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce until the pan is dry
4. Add stock and bring to a simmer for 45 minutes, skimming off fat that floats to the top
5. Strain and cool

These cooking instructions are based off 1 portion, and can be scaled up as needed.

1. Heat the saltimbocca broth and season with lemon to help lighten the richness in the broth. Overheating will lose some
2. Cook 16 tortellini for 4 minutes in heavily salted water
3. In a pan, gently sweat some sliced garlic in extra virgin olive oil, with a pinch of salt until translucent
4. Add some escarole to the pan and deglaze with white wine to stop the cooking process
5. After tortellini are cooked, add them to the pan and toss with the escarole. Add lemon juice and salt to taste
6. Transfer the tortellini and escarole to an individual serving bowl, avoiding any excess oil or liquid from the pan
7. Top with saltimbocca broth and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Mangiare and enjoy!