Pasta Fazoole!

It’s a standard on every American-Italian dinner.  Tonight, I made Pasta e Fagioli, a traditional dish that historically was a peasant dish.  It’s becoming in fashion to have “meat-less” dish during the week, so this is a great, hearty recipe to try out. 

The star of this dish is the cranberry bean, also known as borlotti bean.  These beans are red, tan, and brown speckled.  When cooked, they turn a dark brown color, but are pale yellow in the center.  They have a creamy consistency and are a great substitute for meat because they are so high in iron.  In the summer, you can find these beans fresh, and you need to shell them from their pods, but in the winter months, you can have find these beans dried. 

Recipe

½ lb dried beans (boil in 2 qts water for 5 minutes and then soak for about 2 hrs to rehydrate and then removed excess water)

¼ lb green beans, cut

2 medium size potatoes diced

3 large carrots diced

2 large celery stalks diced

½ onion

3 large garlic cloves

1 bullion cube

¼ tsp red pepper or

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

3 bay leaves

4 tbsp olive oil

2 qts water or enough to cover all ingredients

½ cup dried Ditalini pasta, boil and cook 

Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in oil with salt and pepper, until onions begin to become translucent.  Add green beans, potatoes, and cranberry beans.  Add water and bay leaves and bring to a boil.  Once at a boil, bring down to a simmer and cook for 11/2 hrs.

Cook the Ditalini pasta, and add it to your soup, stir and serve! 

Note: I cook the pasta separate, because I want to ensure that it cooks evenly and that the beans are fully cooked.