Pasta fagioli
Pasta e fagioli
Pasta fagioli (sometimes pasta e fagioli) is one of those hearty and economical soups that - so to speak - unify Italy. This is recognisable all over the country. It has variations, of course. Some versions include tomato paste, some tomato puree, some add pancetta, some add a potato or two, some use stock instead of water. I have come across versions that dispute the addition of carrot.
For this version, I used fresh borlotti beans because there were available at the greengrocer. Normally this would be made with dried beans that must be soaked overnight. And I had some leftover fresh spaghetti - that is, I had made fresh spaghetti but let it dry. The more common approach is to use pasta like ditalini or paternostri, or even small shells. I didn’t add pancetta (because I don’t use pork), and I didn’t add potato or tomato because I was trying to recreate what must have been a soup long before potatoes and tomatoes were staples in the Italian kitchen.
It’s actually hard to give a precise recipe. What follows is a better version than pictured. I decided that tomatoes were a good idea, and a potato pretty good, too. This is not a soup to make in small quantities.
For 8 to 10 people, you need
300g cannelini beans (soaked overnight and drained), a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, 1 big onion (chopped), 1 stick celery (diced), 1 large carrot (diced), 100g pancetta (diced - optional), 1 or 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, parsley, bayleaf, tomato paste (about a tablespoonful), 1 potato (peeled and diced) water, parsley, a good handful (about 160g) pasta, or a bit more, some grated parmesan to serve.
Warm the oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion. Cook until it softens, then add the diced pancetta. When that starts to cook, add the chopped garlic. Stir a little, and when the scent of the garlic rises, add the celery and carrot. Stir for a minute or two, then add the tomato pasta. Stir again. Add the beans and the bayleaf (or two) and about 2.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the beans are cooked - usually an hour. Add salt at this point, the peeled and diced potato, and the pasta. Add more water if necessary - at this point, add boiling water. Cook until the pasta is cooked - stirring frequently so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Add a couple of tablespoons of chopped parsley. Taste it, add more salt if needed.
This is better if it is allowed to rest for a bit, but by all means eat it when it is cooked. Add some grated parmesan to each bowl. If you have some celery leaves, chop them finely and add them as a garnish, too.
It is excellent the next day, reheated. And the following day. So it is worth making the quantity. Keep in the refrigerator, and ladle out what is needed for reheating.