Pasta e fagioli

It’s now officially December, which can only mean one thing: the Most Wonderful Time of the Year has rolled around, bringing with it gingerbread, Christmas cookies, and hot chocolate, to name just a few sugary, seasonal confections. On my To Bake list this year: spicy gingerbread blondies to satisfy my American side and bittersweet chocolate amaretti to appease the Italian one, plus a cannoli inspired ricotta cheesecake which takes inspiration from both camps (stay tuned). I’ve even made lists for you, too! Check out this Christmas archive here, not to mention this round-up of homemade gift and cookie recipes.

Having said this: I’ve come to find that the sugar, chocolate, and butter synonymous with the season inevitably leads our tummies and sweet tooth to cry out for something savory and wholesome to balance the scales (one cannot subsist on candy canes alone). Enter pasta e fagioli, a dish that is simple, grounding, and vaguely nutritious to boot, shelter from the (sugar) storm kicked up by the string of cookie exchanges and Christmas parties.

Literally translated as pasta and beans, pasta e fagioli is undoubtedly a humble dish, but don’t underestimate its deliciousness — after all, it caught the eye of Frank Sinatra himself, who croons the dish’s praises That’s Amore (“When the stars make you drool just like a pasta e fasul…”) A dish common in a variety of regions in Italy (Lazio, Campania, Lombardia, Toscana, Piemonte, and Veneto, to name just a few) there is no one way to make pasta e fagioli. Some recipes I came across called for lard and other cuts of pork, or cannellini beans rather than borlotti beans. Others opted for longer cuts of pasta rather than shorter ones. The quantity of tomato can also be subjective, making for pasta e fagioli that range from bright red to earthy reddish brown and everything in between. Still others instructed that the beans be pureed to achieve a thicker texture, while others made for a pasta e fagioli on the soupier side. In Naples, you can find the unexpected addition of mussels; in Latina, pasta e fagioli is made with a fresh pasta called sagne, with a handful of guanciale thrown in to the mix.

This is my take on pasta e fagioli, one that calls for an even balance of creamy cranberry (borlotti) beans and tiny, toothsome ditalini, plus warming rosemary, toasty garlic, and a rind of Parmesan for an extra dose of flavor. Though dried beans are the more traditional option for this dish, I prefer tinned, a choice that eliminates soaking the beans overnight and then cooking them for 90 minutes. After all: advanced prep or lengthy cooking times almost contradict a dish this low-key, especially when you need to be fed during arguably the busiest time of year. I’ve made numerous times already as a cozy antidote to the constant rain we’ve been experiencing here in Rome, but consider it your go-to on snow days, busy, last-minute-Christmas-shopping-days, and of course: when you’ve had one gingerbread cookie too many and need to reset with a straightforward, no-frills meal.

A couple of notes: Don’t throw away your cheese rinds! When you’re done with your wedge of Parmesan, wrap up the rind and save it in the fridge for soup — it adds an incredible boost of flavor. If you’d like, add some pancetta or prosciutto to the mix when you cook the vegetables. Feel free to substitute any other small pasta for the ditalini. You could probably also substitute cannellini beans here for the borlotti. If you prefer dried beans to canned, soak 200 grams of dried beans overnight in a large bowl of water. The following day, rinse them, transfer them to a large pot, and add lots of cold water to cover the beans . Drop in 2 bay leaves. Bring the water to a boil and cook the beans for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until they are tender.

Looking for other cozy soup recipes? Click here.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
Leaves from 3 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
Half a yellow onion
1 stick of celery
1 carrot
1 Parmesan cheese rind (if you have one on hand, of course)
2 cans borlotti (cranberry) beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (360mL) crushed tomatoes (passata if you’re in Italy)
5 cups (1200mL) water
1 1/3 cups dried (180 grams) ditalini pasta

Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot along with the clove of peeled garlic, bay leaves, and rosemary. Peel and finely chop the onion, then the carrot and celery. Tip the vegetables in to the pot and let everything cook for about 7 minutes, or until softened. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, lots of pepper, and the cheese rind.

2. Next, add your borlotti beans to the pot, stirring well. Add another 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and let the beans cook with the veggies and herbs for a bit to pick up their flavor. When this is done, pour in the crushed tomatoes and 5 cups of water. Stir well and bring the whole thing to a bubble; cook for about 25 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally so that the pasta e fagioli doesn’t stick.

3. Next, take a ladleful of the bean and vegetable mixture out of the pot (or two ladlefuls, if you want a thicker texture for your pasta e fagioli). Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend the mix until it is completely smooth. Be careful at this step as you are handling hot liquids.

4. Add the pasta to the pot. Raise the heat on the stove slightly, and cook the pasta until it is al dente (follow package instructions). If the mixture starts to look a bit dry, add more water as needed by the 1/2 cup (120mL). Add the pureed bean and veggie mix back in to the pot and turn off the heat. Fish out the cheese rind if you can — it has done its job. Taste the soup for salt and pepper (I used about another 1/4 teaspoon, but adjust according to your tastes) and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan over the top.