Pasta Fagioli a.k.a Pasta Fazool!: Foodie Friday

"When the stars make you drool, just-a like pasta fazool,...that's amore." Dean Martin: That's Amore

When I was a kid a favorite way to ruffle my grandmother's feathers was to keep saying, "Pasta Fazool." You see she didn't hear so well and, "Pasta Fazool" sounds a little like you are saying the "F" word in Italian. She would cross herself and tell my cousins and I that were going to go to devil if we didn't stop cursing. Which is really ironic, because implied by my mother, the reason I was never taught Italian was to save me from my grandmother's foul mouth. 

Needless to say if you ever ate Pasta Fazool you would not curse it... This dish is a classic versatile peasant meal that everyone in your family will enjoy. It is traditionally made with ditalini pasta but I've always used orecchiette because my kids like the way this pasta sits on the beans like a hat.

My grandmother always made her Fazool vegetarian and served it on Friday nights when you couldn't eat meat, before Vatican II. I like throwing some pancetta, bacon, or left over ham into it, this really heighten's the sauces flavor. 

Enjoy,
Diane

Pasta Fagioli (a.k.a Pasta Fazool)
by Diane Balch
Simplelivingeating.com

Preparation: 20 minutes                                      Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta chopped small (or bacon, ham)
1  medium onion minced
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons tomato paste
64 ounces of Chicken broth (or beef, vegetable broth)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of dried orecchiette pasta (or other small pasta)
2 15.5 ounce cans of small red beans (pinto, borlotti, etc.)
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped (or escarole, spinach)
Garnish: grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) On medium high, heat oil in a large sauce pan. Cook the pancetta. When it is almost brown add the onions, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cook until onions wilt. Do not brown the garlic.

2) Add the tomato paste, continually stir it, and cook it for about 2 minutes until it starts to darken. Then add the chicken broth and pepper. Blend and bring to a boil.

3) Add the pasta and cook it half the time the package says if you are going to let the soup sit for an hour or more. If not cook it the full time.

4) Turn the heat off and add the beans and parsley. It is best to let the soup sit.  Garnish with parmesan cheese. 

5) VERY IMPORTANT: Check the salt and pepper before serving. Do not add salt until after you have added the cheese and tasted it. Both pancetta and cheese are salty the soup may not need any additional salt. 
pasta fagioli, pasta fazool, Italian recipe,pasta, beans  http://verygoodrecipes.com/italia 

Hosted by
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and
Simple Living and Eating

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