# Brodo di carne Bolognese capon and beef broth. Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. Basics (Basi). > The broth of Bologna's tortellini: capon and beef simmered for four hours with vegetables and a rind of Parmigiano Reggiano, as the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino deposited it in 2026. - Level of proof: Deposited recipe (Ricetta depositata). An official recipe filed with an Italian Chamber of Commerce or a notary by a recognised culinary body. - Sources checked: 2026-10-26 - Published: 2026-10-26 - Page: https://nonnario.com/recipes/brodo-di-carne/ ## In short - Half a capon at least five months old and beef doppione, with a beef femur bone, started in cold water. - A browned onion, carrots, celery, half a ramato tomato and a rind of 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano. - Simmered very slowly for four hours, skimmed often so it stays clear. - Rested off the heat for half an hour, then filtered through a clean white cloth. Also called: brodo per tortellini, brodo di cappone, Bolognese meat broth. Suitable for: gluten-free, as written. No wheat, barley or rye, as written. Check the labels of stock cubes and other packaged ingredients. ## Where it comes from Bologna's tortellini have had a deposited filling since 1974 and a deposited description of their shape and pasta since 2008. The broth they are served in was the last part without a text. On 16 October 2026, after a historical and social study, the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino deposited it too, as a notarial deed at the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna, signed by the notary Carlo Vico, a member of the Confraternita, by the Chamber's president Valerio Veronesi and by the Gran Prevosto Alberto Salvadori. The deed itself has not been published. The recipe here follows the press reports of the deposit, which agree with one another: half a capon at least five months old, beef doppione and a femur bone, vegetables with a browned onion and half a tomato, and a rind of 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano, simmered very slowly for four hours, rested and filtered through a cloth. It is the broth for tortellini, and the meat broth Nonnario's other recipes call for. - Defined by: Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino - Reference: Recipe deposited with a notary at the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna, 2026 ## Sources - [Il Resto del Carlino: the broth recipe deposited on 16 October 2026, its method and permitted variations (Italian)](https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/bologna/cronaca/brodo-tortellini-vera-ricetta-6cda8308) - [VDG Magazine: the official broth for tortellini, its method and variations (Italian)](https://vdgmagazine.it/il-tortellino-ha-il-suo-brodo-ufficiale-la-ricetta-depositata-a-bologna/) - [Confcommercio Ascom Bologna: the deposit and its signatories, from Il Resto del Carlino of 19 October 2026 (Italian)](https://ascom.bo.it/2026/10/19/tortellini-il-brodo-e-legge-depositata-la-vera-ricetta-manzo-cappone-e-parmigiano/) ## Ingredients For 20 servings, in metric units. ### For the broth - ½ capon (at least 5 months old; or a free-range chicken) - 1 kg beef for boiling (‘doppione’) - 1 beef femur bone - 30 g coarse salt - 1 onion (halved, skin on) - 2 carrots, peeled - 2 celery stalks - ½ ramato tomato (a ripe vine tomato) - 1 rind of Parmigiano Reggiano (aged 24 months) - 5 l cold water ## Equipment - Stockpot of at least 8 l, with a lid - Frying pan, for browning the onion - Skimmer - Stamigna (a straining frame) or a fine sieve, and a clean white cotton cloth - Probe thermometer (useful to hold the simmer at 90 °C–95 °C) - A sink or large bowl of iced water, to cool it quickly if you make it ahead ## Method Hands-on 37 min, cooking 4 h 30 min, resting at least 30 min. About 5 hours, almost all of it unattended: 15 minutes to prepare, four hours of very slow simmering, half an hour of rest and a few minutes to filter. The deposited quantities are for 2.5 kg of tortellini, about 20 servings. Make it the day before if you can: chilled overnight, its fat sets and lifts off cleanly. ### Before the pot 1. **Prepare the vegetables and the rind** (Hands-on 10 min). Peel the carrots and wash the celery stalks. Halve the onion through the root, leaving its skin on. Halve the tomato. Scrape the outside of the Parmigiano rind with a knife and rinse it under the tap. Tip: The onion's skin adds colour to the broth: leave it on. 2. **Brown the onion** (Hands-on 4–5 min; heat: medium-high, in a dry pan; follows the official text). Put the onion halves cut side down in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat and leave them, without moving them, until the cut faces are deep brown, 4–5 minutes. Check: The cut faces are evenly deep brown, not black. Tip: The deposit browns the onion before it goes into the pot: it gives the broth its amber colour. ### The broth 3. **Fill the pot** (Hands-on 3 min; follows the official text). Pour 5 l of cold water into the stockpot. Add 30 g of coarse salt, the browned onion, the carrots, the celery, the half tomato and the Parmigiano rind. 4. **Add the meats and bring to the boil slowly** (Cooking 30–40 min; heat: medium; follows the official text). Add the beef, the femur bone and the half capon to the cold water. Heat over medium heat so that the water comes to the boil slowly, in 30–40 minutes. Tip: Starting the meats in cold water draws out their flavour and lets the proteins rise gradually as foam you can skim, for a clearer broth. Tip: To serve the capon as boiled meat, the deposit lets you add it only once the water boils and lift it out after about an hour and a half, while the beef cooks on. 5. **Skim the foam** (Hands-on 10 min; follows the official text). As the water nears the boil, grey foam rises. Lift it off with the skimmer, again and again, until the surface stays clean. Check: The surface is clear, with only small drops of fat. 6. **Simmer very slowly for four hours** (Cooking 4 h; 90–95 °C; heat: lowest, barely trembling; follows the official text). Lower the heat until the surface barely trembles, at 90 °C–95 °C, and leave the broth for four hours with the lid ajar. Skim off any new foam every half hour or so, to keep it clear. Check: The broth is clear and golden, and the beef is tender to a fork. Tip: A rolling boil emulsifies the fat and turns the broth cloudy. If bubbles break the surface, lower the heat or move the pot half off the burner. 7. **Rest off the heat** (Rest 30 min; follows the official text). Turn off the heat and leave the pot to stand for half an hour, without stirring, so the finest particles settle to the bottom. 8. **Filter through a cloth** (Hands-on 10 min; follows the official text). Lift out the meats and the vegetables with the skimmer. Line the stamigna, or a fine sieve set over a clean pot, with a clean white cotton cloth, dampened and wrung out. Ladle the broth through it gently, leaving the last cloudy centimetre in the pot. Check: Poured into a white bowl, the broth is clear enough to see the bottom. Tip: The beef and the capon make a good boiled-meat course (bollito) with green sauce. ### If you make it ahead 9. **Cool quickly and chill** (4 °C). Stand the pot in a sink of iced water and stir until the broth is below 20 °C, then refrigerate it overnight at 4 °C. The next day, lift off the fat that has set on top, leaving a few flecks for flavour. Tip: Cooling it below 20 °C within 2 hours keeps it safe. ## Good to know - Variant: With a free-range chicken: A free-range chicken may take the place of the capon. ([source](https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/bologna/cronaca/brodo-tortellini-vera-ricetta-6cda8308)) - Variant: With other cuts of beef: Half the doppione may be replaced by 500 g of copertina, and falata or brisket (punta di petto) may be added or used instead. ([source](https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/bologna/cronaca/brodo-tortellini-vera-ricetta-6cda8308)) - Variant: A stronger broth: With 3.5 l of water instead of 5 l, for a more concentrated broth; the carrots and celery may also be halved. ([source](https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/bologna/cronaca/brodo-tortellini-vera-ricetta-6cda8308)) - Variant: With the capon as boiled meat: The capon may go in only once the water boils and come out after about an hour and a half, while the beef cooks on. ([source](https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/bologna/cronaca/brodo-tortellini-vera-ricetta-6cda8308)) - Used in: https://nonnario.com/recipes/risotto-alla-milanese/ - Used in: https://nonnario.com/recipes/canederli/ - Used in: https://nonnario.com/recipes/passatelli-in-brodo/ - Used in: https://nonnario.com/recipes/ragu-alla-bolognese/ ## Common mistakes - Boiling it hard: the fat emulsifies and the broth turns cloudy. It should barely tremble for four hours. - Filtering it at once. The half hour of rest off the heat lets the finest particles settle first. - Reaching for a stock cube to make it stronger. The deposit's own way is less water: 3.5 litres instead of 5. ## Cooking it outside Italy - Capon can be hard to find outside Italy: the deposit itself allows a free-range chicken instead. - ‘Doppione’ is a Bolognese cut for boiling. The deposit also allows brisket (punta di petto), which is easy to find anywhere. - Use a rind of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO aged 24 months, as the deposit asks. --- From Nonnario, the documented recipes of Italy: https://nonnario.com/recipes/brodo-di-carne/. Cite the recipe's page and the month its sources were checked; for the official text itself, cite the document listed under its sources.