Fagioli Alla Fiorentina Recipes

PASTA E FAGIOLI (ITALIAN PASTA AND BEANS)

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 6 to 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, stir, and cook until the tomatoes are bubbling all over. Add the broth, water, bay leaves, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Use a heat-safe measuring cup to transfer about 1 1/2 cups of the soup (avoiding the bay leaves) to a blender. Add about 3/4 cup of the drained beans. Securely fasten the lid and blend until completely smooth, being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Pour the blended mixture back into the soup.
• Add the remaining beans, pasta, kale and parsley to the simmering soup. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 20 minutes, or until the pasta and greens are pleasantly tender.
• Remove the pot from the heat, then remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add another 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup as desired, and serve.
• Leftovers taste even better the next day. Allow leftover soup to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Or, freeze leftover soup in individual portions and defrost as necessary.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Combine the onion, celery, carrot and oil in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, bay leaf, rosemary sprig and 3 cups of the broth. Bring to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Add the remaining cup of broth and the pasta. Add the beans and simmer gently until the pasta is cooked through, about 12 minutes.
• Taste the soup and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add pasta and cook 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
• Add undrained beans and mix well. Heat through. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

PASTA E FAGIOLI ALLA VENEZIANA

Steps:

• Put beans in pot and cover with cold water. Soak for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.
• Drain and put beans back into pot with carrot, celery, garlic, whole onion and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Skim surface if necessary.
• Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Check beans for doneness. They should be soft and creamy, not too mushy.
• Season beans with salt towards the end of the cooking time.
• While the beans are cooking, saute the onion in olive oil in a large skillet until onion is softened. Add the pancetta and continue sauteing until onion and pancetta are golden but not too crispy.
• Add the red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the rosemary and saute for one minute. Remove pan from heat and cover.
• Take the beans off the heat once they are cooked. Remove carrot. Throw out celery and onion. Lift out an abundant slotted spoonful of the whole beans and put into the pancetta pan. Take 2 tablespoons of the pancetta mixture and add to bean pot. Cut up the carrot and add to pancetta mixture.
• Using an immersion blender, puree the bean mixture until completely smooth. Add the pancetta mixture, stir briefly and bring to a boil.
• Stir in pasta pieces and cook until pasta is tender. If soup is too thick, add a little hot water.
• Serve with grated cheese and a swig of olive oil.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Drain the beans and bring to the boil in a pan of salted water. Cook for 10 mins, drain, rinse and put in a slow cooker with the onions, carrots and celery.
• Stir in the olive oil, garlic, stock, tomatoes, half a can of water and the miso. Tie the herbs together with kitchen string and add these as well. Season. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hrs, until the beans are cooked through and all of the veg is really tender.
• Remove and discard the herbs and stir in the pasta. Cover and cook on high for another 30 mins. Add the cavolo nero stalks and leaves and cook for a final 30-40 mins, or until the pasta is cooked through and the greens are tender. Serve scattered with the cheese and drizzled with a little more olive oil, if you like.

FAGIOLI ALLA FIORENTINA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Put drained beans in a deep dish casserole or dutch oven and add cold water to just cover. Add remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and bake until beans have absorbed all the liquid and are tender, about 2 hours.