Pasta e Fagioli
Found in The Nest, Holiday 2006 issue, from Giada de Laurentiis
Geoff and I tried this one tonight, and it's excellent. Smells really wonderful, too.
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large fresh rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1 T olive oil
1 t unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 oz pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
5-3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 14-oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1. Wrap thyme, rosemany, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it with kitchen twine. (We didn't have twine, so we knotted the cheesecloth.)
2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy saucepan (we used a 5-qt pot, and it worked well) over a medium flame. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic, and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet.
3. In a blender, puree 1 cup of the bean mixture until smooth, then return the puree to the saucepan. Cover and return the soup to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni, cover, and boil, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. (We mis-read the recipe and added about 3 oz of macaroni, probably closer to 1 or 1-1/2 cups. Still turned out fine.)
4. Season the soup with pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. (We left out the olive oil here, but you better believe we piled on the Parmesan.)
Recipe says it serves 6. In our house, it's probably closer to 4.
Geoff and I tried this one tonight, and it's excellent. Smells really wonderful, too.
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large fresh rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1 T olive oil
1 t unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 oz pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
5-3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 14-oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1. Wrap thyme, rosemany, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it with kitchen twine. (We didn't have twine, so we knotted the cheesecloth.)
2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy saucepan (we used a 5-qt pot, and it worked well) over a medium flame. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic, and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet.
3. In a blender, puree 1 cup of the bean mixture until smooth, then return the puree to the saucepan. Cover and return the soup to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni, cover, and boil, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. (We mis-read the recipe and added about 3 oz of macaroni, probably closer to 1 or 1-1/2 cups. Still turned out fine.)
4. Season the soup with pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. (We left out the olive oil here, but you better believe we piled on the Parmesan.)
Recipe says it serves 6. In our house, it's probably closer to 4.
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