Passatelli are a Romagna specialty born of thrift: stale bread grated into crumbs, mixed with Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs and a whisper of nutmeg and lemon, then pushed through a press with large holes into simmering broth. They come out as thick, knobbly little strands about the length of a finger and cook in two minutes. Families in Romagna serve them in a clear meat broth on Sundays and in winter, and argue happily about whether lemon zest belongs in them at all.

Imola sits on the Via Emilia at the edge of Romagna, and passatelli are as local to its race weekend as the green hills that look down on the circuit. They are also one of the rare dishes that make a virtue of leftovers, which is a philosophy any team running an old chassis would recognize.

The passatelli

Ingredients

• 1 cup (100 g) very fine dry plain breadcrumbs
• 1 cup (100 g) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon soft butter

The broth

Ingredients

• 6 cups (1.4 liters) good chicken or beef broth, or a mix
• fine salt

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