Pasta e Fagioli
Leo Hartmann Demo- Makes
- 8 servings
- Active
- 44 min
- Total
- 14 h 5 min
You’ll Need large bowl for soaking, two large saucepans, slotted spoon, stick blender
Method
Beans
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Cover the with plenty of and leave them to soak overnight.
beans are plump and about doubled in sizeSafe to pause here[object Object]
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Drain and rinse the beans, put them in a saucepan with the , cover generously with fresh cold water and boil gently for about . Keep them in their cooking water.
100 °Ca bean crushes easily against the roof of your mouthskins are intact but creamy inside[object Object]
Soup
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Heat the in a large pot, add the , , and and fry gently for about .
vegetables are soft and fragrant, only lightly coloured[object Object]
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Add the and and cook for a couple of minutes more.
the lardo turns translucent and starts to melt[object Object]
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Lift the beans out of their pot with a slotted spoon and add them to the soffritto. Add one ladle of the bean cooking water and keep the rest hot.
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Stir in the , season moderately with and some , and simmer over medium heat for .
the tomato has darkened slightly and lost its raw taste[object Object]
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Scoop two ladles of the soup into a jug and blend them to a smooth cream with a stick blender. Set aside.
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Add the straight to the pot, pour in enough of the hot bean water to cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring often so it does not catch, until al dente. Add more bean water if it gets too thick.
pasta tender with a slight bitesoup is thick and creamy[object Object]
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Stir in the blended cream and the chopped , turn off the heat, cover and leave to rest for . Serve with a final grinding of pepper.
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From Leo Hartmann
Starting from dried borlotti gives you creamy beans and, just as important, their cooking water, which the pasta then cooks in so all the starch stays in the pot. Blending a couple of ladles of the soup and stirring it back in at the end makes it velvety without any cream.
Notes
- Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight; they will roughly double. Old beans take longer to soften, so taste rather than trust the clock.
- Keep the bean water. It is the stock for the soup. Top up with hot water if you run short.
- Lardo is cured pork back fat; pancetta is the easiest swap, and a vegetarian version works with extra olive oil and a parmesan rind simmered in the soup.
- Pasta shape. Ditaloni rigati are classic, but any short soup pasta or broken spaghetti works.
- Texture. It should be thick enough that a spoon nearly stands up, the way it is eaten in Italy. Loosen with hot water if you prefer it soupier.
- To serve, finish each bowl with a thread of raw olive oil and more black pepper.
Storage
Keeps 3 days in the fridge; the pasta keeps absorbing liquid, so loosen with hot water when reheating. Freeze the bean base without the pasta for up to 3 months.
Make Ahead
Cook the beans a day or two ahead and refrigerate them in their cooking water. The soup base can be made ahead up to the point of adding the pasta.
When to Start
Plan backwards from a time
Filed under Main · Soup · Southern Europe › Italy · Legumes · Soup · Weekend Project · Pasta e Fagioli. Tags: #budget, #comfort food, #winter.