Angela
09-10-17, 22:09
Best in my opinion, of course. :) It's Lunigiana style.
Ingredienti:
· 1 tbsp olive oil
· 4 oz. pancetta, chopped
· 1 medium onion, finely chopped
· 1-2 medium carrots, finely chopped
· 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped, not the leaves and tough parts
· 2 small or 1 large garlic clove-smashed
· 1-2 teasp. Tomato paste
· 2 - 19 oz. cans white kidney beans (cannellini beans), rinsed and strained (3 if you like it really creamy and thick like we do)
· 6 cups chicken broth
· 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
· 1 bay leaf
· 3/4 cup ditalini
· Salt and pepper to taste
· Parmigiano cheese for topping
1. Pu the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium high heat, and when it's hot, add in the pancetta - cook until starting to brown. Turn the heat down to medium low.
2. Add the vegetables to the pot and saute for at least 5 minutes. They should be getting soft and translucent.
3. Add the garlic, and saute one minute, then the tomato paste and saute for one minute.
4. Pour the chicken broth into the pot and then add in the kidney beans and fresh herbs . Bring the contents of the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Remove at least 1 cup of the bean mixture, allow it to cool for about 5 minutes and then puree it in the food processor until it's smooth, or just put it in a bowl and use an immersion blender.
6. Add the pureed beans back into the soup and stir well.
7. Add the pasta to the pot and boil for 5-7 minutes with the lid on, you want the pasta to be al dente
8. Turn the heat off, let it sit for about 5 minutes and then serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lots of grated parmigiana cheese.
A few notes:
l. A piece of salt pork, lard, or a ham bone can be substituted for the pancetta. I like the salt pork best, but it's not always available.
2. The "authentic" bean in most places is the borlotti bean, or what Americans call the cranberry bean, but that requires soaking them overnight (12 hours) and then boiling, whereas navy beans and cannellini beans can be bought pre-cooked in a can and they work fine. I prefer the "navy" beans or what Goya calls "small" white beans to cannellini beans because the skin is less tough and so it contributes to the creaminess of the soup, but again, some markets might not carry them canned.
3. My mother never added any garlic, but I do put one large squashed clove in with the vegetables after they're sauteed because my family love garlic.
4. We always just use a bit of tomato paste for the "tomato" element. It's just for color and to concentrate and enhance the other flavors. It's added to the vegetables and before the broth. Only in the south do they make a tomato-y soup.
5. You can use just boiling water instead of boiling chicken broth or use boiling vegetable broth. To me it sometimes seems a bit of a waste to use chicken broth on a soup that has so much flavor on its own. NEVER add cold liquid, always warmed up if not boiling.
6. Fresh rosemary is a must.
7. Pureeing part of it is a must. Our version is supposed to be creamy, not watery. In Lucca they puree almost all of it, but we sort of go half and half.
I make a huge pot of this every two weeks and freeze a lot of it. If you make more than just enough for one night, cook the pasta separately and you can add it to every batch you heat up. We hate mushy pasta. That's one reason I can't eat canned Americanized Italian soups, even from brands like Progresso. Fa schifo.
If you're handy in the kitchen, and give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Practically everyone to whom I've fed it has asked for the recipe, which is why I have it typed up and ready. :)
Mine when I'm in the mood for having it a bit loose.
http://www.aciclico.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pasta-e-ceci.jpg
How it's served in one of our local restaurants. Americans don't usually like that much olive oil. :)
https://www.lospicchiodaglio.it/img/ricette/pastafagiolifreschi.jpg
Ingredienti:
· 1 tbsp olive oil
· 4 oz. pancetta, chopped
· 1 medium onion, finely chopped
· 1-2 medium carrots, finely chopped
· 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped, not the leaves and tough parts
· 2 small or 1 large garlic clove-smashed
· 1-2 teasp. Tomato paste
· 2 - 19 oz. cans white kidney beans (cannellini beans), rinsed and strained (3 if you like it really creamy and thick like we do)
· 6 cups chicken broth
· 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
· 1 bay leaf
· 3/4 cup ditalini
· Salt and pepper to taste
· Parmigiano cheese for topping
1. Pu the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium high heat, and when it's hot, add in the pancetta - cook until starting to brown. Turn the heat down to medium low.
2. Add the vegetables to the pot and saute for at least 5 minutes. They should be getting soft and translucent.
3. Add the garlic, and saute one minute, then the tomato paste and saute for one minute.
4. Pour the chicken broth into the pot and then add in the kidney beans and fresh herbs . Bring the contents of the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Remove at least 1 cup of the bean mixture, allow it to cool for about 5 minutes and then puree it in the food processor until it's smooth, or just put it in a bowl and use an immersion blender.
6. Add the pureed beans back into the soup and stir well.
7. Add the pasta to the pot and boil for 5-7 minutes with the lid on, you want the pasta to be al dente
8. Turn the heat off, let it sit for about 5 minutes and then serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lots of grated parmigiana cheese.
A few notes:
l. A piece of salt pork, lard, or a ham bone can be substituted for the pancetta. I like the salt pork best, but it's not always available.
2. The "authentic" bean in most places is the borlotti bean, or what Americans call the cranberry bean, but that requires soaking them overnight (12 hours) and then boiling, whereas navy beans and cannellini beans can be bought pre-cooked in a can and they work fine. I prefer the "navy" beans or what Goya calls "small" white beans to cannellini beans because the skin is less tough and so it contributes to the creaminess of the soup, but again, some markets might not carry them canned.
3. My mother never added any garlic, but I do put one large squashed clove in with the vegetables after they're sauteed because my family love garlic.
4. We always just use a bit of tomato paste for the "tomato" element. It's just for color and to concentrate and enhance the other flavors. It's added to the vegetables and before the broth. Only in the south do they make a tomato-y soup.
5. You can use just boiling water instead of boiling chicken broth or use boiling vegetable broth. To me it sometimes seems a bit of a waste to use chicken broth on a soup that has so much flavor on its own. NEVER add cold liquid, always warmed up if not boiling.
6. Fresh rosemary is a must.
7. Pureeing part of it is a must. Our version is supposed to be creamy, not watery. In Lucca they puree almost all of it, but we sort of go half and half.
I make a huge pot of this every two weeks and freeze a lot of it. If you make more than just enough for one night, cook the pasta separately and you can add it to every batch you heat up. We hate mushy pasta. That's one reason I can't eat canned Americanized Italian soups, even from brands like Progresso. Fa schifo.
If you're handy in the kitchen, and give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Practically everyone to whom I've fed it has asked for the recipe, which is why I have it typed up and ready. :)
Mine when I'm in the mood for having it a bit loose.
http://www.aciclico.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pasta-e-ceci.jpg
How it's served in one of our local restaurants. Americans don't usually like that much olive oil. :)
https://www.lospicchiodaglio.it/img/ricette/pastafagiolifreschi.jpg