Giovanna's Pasta e Fagioli.....an Italian Classic

My last blog post recipe was about making wine braised short ribs; an Italian comfort food.  I must be in need of comforting, because here’s another classic Italian comfort food recipe; this time for Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta with Beans).  I’d always heard about this dish, but rarely ever saw it on an Italian menu as it's one of those classic home cooking recipes. And I must admit, I always thought the combination of pasta and beans to be a little heavy in the starch department, so when I did see it, I picked something else.  Mistake, mistake, mistake.  Live and learn.

This recipe comes direct from an Italian friend, Giovanna Caprara.  Giovanna cooks from scratch for her family all the time.  Lucky them.  When she makes this recipe, she makes the pasta from scratch and uses dry beans that she’s soaked the night before.  I've taken the liberty of making a few shortcuts.  This recipe is so delicious even with my little cheats; it must be truly amazing the way she makes it.

You’ll need three pots for this dish.  Please don’t let the number of dirty pots deter you from making it; it’s still a simple recipe.  Plus, hopefully you have a dishwasher husband like I do.  Thank you dear.  

Let's get started.  Here are the basic ingredients:
broken flat pasta, two handfuls
1 small onion
1 carrot
2 ribs of celery
olive oil 
a can of beans 
1 clove of garlic
1 package of cubed pancetta
a lovely tomato or a can of diced tomatoes
fresh rosemary
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 quart of vegetable broth

Pot #1:  Get your water on to boil for the pasta.  I will be using dry pasta.  Giovanna says we must use something flat, like broken fettucine.  I found pasta that looks like the long edges of lasagna, flat with a bumpy edge.  Once your water is boiling, add in your coarse salt, break your pasta up into it, and cook until it is al dente, then drain.  On to the next pot.

Pot #2:  This should be a larger pot, as everything will end up in this one.  Once again we start with our Holy Trinity of vegetables; chopped onions, carrots and celery.  Saute these in some olive oil for a few minutes until wilted, and then add your can of beans.  Stir to mix, then take off the heat and set aside.  On to the next pot.

Pot #3:  This should a medium saucepot.  Drizzle pan with olive oil, and heat.  Add pancetta cubes, a good pinch of red pepper flakes, and the smashed garlic clove.  Saute for a bit and add chopped fresh rosemary, and a 15 ounce tin of diced tomatoes (or fresh if you have nice ones available).  Cook for about 3 minutes, then add 1 cup of hot vegetable broth.  Let that simmer for about 10 minutes, then discard the garlic clove, and remove from heat.

Let’s go back to Pot #2 now.  With an immersion stick blender (one of my best friends), puree about one third of the veggie/bean mixture.  We want to thicken up our dish, but still leave lots of texture.

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Now it is time to combine the contents of all three pots into pot #2.  First, add your drained, cooked pasta to your partially pureed bean/vegie pot.  Then, scrape the contents of Pot #3 (the pancetta/tomato mixture) into Pot #2 with the vegies and beans and pasta.  Oh my gosh, it smells so good, doesn’t it?  Put your filled pot back on the heat and add more hot broth to it.  Basically, you can add as much broth as you like, to adjust how thick you would like your dish to be.  Traditionally, it’s not a soup really, so don’t thin it out too much.  It should be the consistency of a stew.  

Well, by now the kitchen must smell heavenly.  You're starving, aren't you?  Ladle the pasta e fagioli  into pasta bowls, top with grated parmesan or pecorino and serve.

Buon Appetito e grazie a Giovanna!