Mamma’s Pasta E Fagioli    (I just realized that the previous post was woefully incomplete! Sorry my children, Mamma was having a “senior moment”)

Ingredients:

The old country recipe uses dry beans, washed and soaked overnight~ but I realize you kids will want to take short cuts with canned beans, which is fine because you are still eating healthily.

1 Cup dried cranberry beans (substitute with red kidney beans)  or 3 Cans Red kidney beans* if not adding cannellini beans, 2 if you are.

1/2 Cup dried cannellini beans or 1 can of it (this is my added touch, though not traditional, it looks attractive and is tasty too)

1 26 oz Can San Marzano Whole tomato  (my favorite, though regular Whole Tomatoes will work)

4 Cups Homemade Beef Broth (or chicken broth, or store bought ones~ though they lack flavor)

2 garlic cloves

3 T olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, sliced in half lengthwise and chopped

1 carrot ( sliced lengthwise in quarters and chopped)

1/4 C pancetta or a small pork chop

kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste

fresh Flat Italian parsley, chopped

1 T butter

grated cheese like Locatelli or Parmiginano~ Reggiano for garnish

Instructions:

Rinse and soak the beans overnight. Then drain them before using them, and boil them in lightly salted water for an hour, set aside.—OR–I  can sense your impatience;)  just use  canned beans, but rinse those too. Either way, you just want the beans, not the water.

In a saucepan, sauté the onion gently in the oil until golden.  Add the celery and carrot and sauté them together. Add a pinch of Salt and Pepper. Add your Pancetta (no salting it) or little pork meat, a tiny pinch of salt again.  When the veggies are a bit tender, add the garlic and cook very gently being careful not to brown it. Now add the tomatoes and crush them up gently, add the stock  and let cook 10 minutes. Drop the  cooked or canned beans into the soup, stir gently, continue to cook on simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, uncovered. To thicken the soup, use your immersion blender just a little  to puree it a bit or remove up to 1 cup of soup and puree  it in a blender, then add it back to the soup.

Cook ditalini or any small pasta (in keeping with the size of the beans) al dente, (not more because it will finish cooking in the soup) then drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water Just In Case you want to use it to starch up the soup. Add the pasta to the soup. Stir it in gently. Add the dab of butter- it’s not much and it gives it a glistening texture. ( I like to add a bit of the pasta water here if it looks like it needs more liquid. Garnish the pot with grated cheese and parsley. More of the cheese can be added to individual bowls.

Serve immediately, otherwise, the pasta will absorb all the liquid. Serve it with Itialian bread. I like Crostini or Bruschetta with it. too.  For reheating the next day, add a little water and warm it up in the microwave. ( I don’t cook in the microwave, but I do heat food in it gently..) It can be frozen.

Variations:

Remember, a  recipe is just a reference point…so experiment with it:  If you want your family to eat more veggies, add zucchini to it (it makes it taste sweeter …try fresh spinach or shredded kale, I love the color of it, not to mention the nutrition…your touches make it your own!

Enjoy! Hope this warms your bellies AND your hearts…