Beef Broth with Pastina
Brodo con pastina
This is one of the most comforting and flavoursome dishes to make as soon as the weather gets chilly.
It’s also super nutritious with all the goodness from the bone marrow infusing the soup, and is a great antidote for a head cold or just for when you are feeling the winter blues.
Recipe
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 large pieces of beef osso bucco (about 1.6 kg)
1 onion
2 carrots
3 sticks of celery
2 potatoes into large pieces
1 tin of crushed tomatoes
A small bunch of fresh parley
Salt and pepper
1 piece of the end rind of parmesan cheese (optional)
250g pastina (tiny pieces of pasta in a variety of shapes)
Method
Wash the osso bucco under cold water and place in a large stock pot, covering with water ¾ of the way up. Let it boil for 10-20 minutes while continuously skimming off the white froth that comes to the surface. Reduce heat when no more white froth is produced.
Roughly chop the onion, carrots, celery and potatoes into large pieces (roughly 4cm), and add to the pot
Pour in the tin of tomatoes and add the parsley bunch whole. Finish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and the piece of parmesan if using – this will add an extra umami flavour
Let the soup boil uncovered for 3 hours, then another 3 hours covered with the lid
After the total 6 hours, the osso bucco should be very tender. Carefully take out the meat and shred into smaller pieces. Discard the bone and any sinew or fat . Set aside the meat and cover
Take out the vegetables from the rest of the soup and set aside
Strain the remaining liquid through a strainer to collect all the broth
Boil the pastina unil al dente, drain and add to the broth
Serve a bowl of the broth with the pastina, adding some of the shredded meat over the top and the vegetables as a side dish.
Heavenly on a cold winters day