PASTA E FAGIOL – BEAN AND PASTA SOUP

PASTA FAGIOL

Pasta e Fagioli (Fagiol) another brilliant dish hailing from the incomparable Emilia-Romana region of Italy.  The beans here are Great Northern, Cannellini or Borlotti and they are accompanied by small round pasta called Ditalini.

No matter the different ways of pronunciation, Fasola, Fagiol or Fazool, it’s so swanky a dish, even Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” has lyrics in its favor: “When the stars make you drool, just like Pasta Fazool, that’s Amore”.  And drool is exactly what happens when inhaling the luscious aroma of this incredibly lovely soup.

 

4 oz of pancetta or 4 pieces of thick smoked bacon – diced

3-4 TBSP of olive oil

3 cups of dried Cannellini or Great Northern beans

1 medium onion – chopped

4 garlic cloves – chopped

2 carrots – sliced

2 celery stalks – sliced

2 bay leaves – fresh or dried

¾ cup white wine

1 pkg of Beef demi-glace

1 cup of chopped parsley

1 14.5 oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes – crushed by hand

½ TSP of Aleppo pepper

Half a pkg of fresh baby spinach – rough chopped

2 rosemary sprigs

Rind of Parmesan cheese

1 ½ cups of Ditalini pasta (or any other small shape)

Fresh grated Parmesan for serving

 

Soak the beans overnight, drain and rinse them.  Add them to a Dutch oven, cover them with plenty of fresh water, bring to a boil with the bay leaves, Parmesan rind, rosemary sprigs and simmer for 1 hour or until tender.

In another large pot, heat up about 3 TBSP of olive oil and add the chopped onion and pancetta.  Sweat for about 3-4 minutes.  Incorporate the carrots, celery and garlic and cook about 5-6 minutes over med/low heat until the veggies are somewhat soft.  Meanwhile, in a bowl add the canned tomatoes with their juice and crush them by hand removing the cores, as they don’t cook down.  Add the tomatoes, Aleppo pepper and parsley to the pot mixing well with the mirepoix.  Add the wine and reduce for about 3-4 minutes.  Season with Kosher salt and pepper and simmer on med/low for about 15 minutes.  Add the tomato mixture to the Dutch oven and incorporate the beans as well as the dried pasta.  Add a bit more water, if the liquids have evaporated.  Simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes till the pasta has cooked.  Add the chopped fresh spinach at the end.  Check for seasonings, remove the rosemary sprigs, bay leaves and cheese rind.  Ladle into soup bowls, drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with some fresh Parmesan and some chopped fresh parsley.

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