Brodo di Parmigiano (Parmesan Broth)

This recipe makes deeply flavorful broth out of something that most people throw away: the hard rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. While it’s true that it takes 5 1/2 hours to make, it will be an entirely pleasant way to pass the time, since the perfume enveloping your kitchen is of the most intoxicating sort. If ever a smell could be mellifluous, this is it. Prepare to be hungry and wish to dip anything and everything in that shimmering pot as the flavors collide into one another like young lovers reunited after months apart. Any pasta is an acceptable match for this broth, because while it’s on the thin side as far as sauces go, it’s no delicate wallflower. The gut shot of umami it packs can stand up to the heartiest of noodles, or the most filamentary.