Pasta e Fagioli

A recipe that instantly evokes the warmth of home, this version of the classic Italian dish was taught to me by my friend Diego, who is a shoe designer and a true Neapolitan. He invited me over for dinner one evening; I had been staying in Milan, shooting a television show, and after a long stretch of restaurants and room service, a home-cooked dinner was exactly what I needed. Pasta e fagioli is like the embrace of a friend: with the very first spoonful, you immediately realize how much you missed them.

This dish is wonderful reheated the next day, when it becomes ripassata. To make that, add a little water, olive oil and grated Parmesan and warm the soup gently. When it begins to form a crust, toss it in the pan before serving.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 500g (2¼ cups) dried cannellini beans, or 2 × 570g (1lb 4oz) jars of cannellini beans

• bicarbonate of soda, if using dried beans

• 1 carrot

  A Tuscan Table: Seasonal Vegetarian Recipes from Italy Luca Calvani

• 1 celery stick

• 1 onion

• extra virgin olive oil

• 300g (10½oz) mezze maniche or ditali pasta

• 1 tablespoon tomato purée

• grated Parmesan cheese

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

If using dried beans, soak them overnight with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. But if you’re in a hurry – as I often am – 2 jars of pre-cooked cannellini beans work perfectly. I prefer those sold in glass jars, so I can see the product. Check if your pre-cooked beans are salted, and if they are, don’t add salt until you add the pasta.

Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion, then sauté them in a generous splash of olive oil. As soon as the onion begins to colour, add the drained beans and stir well. Pour in half a glass of water, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, or until the cannellini beans are tender. If using pre-cooked beans, add them to the saucepan once the carrot pieces are tender; they won’t require further cooking.

Meanwhile, bring some water to the boil in a saucepan.

When the carrot pieces have softened, remove one-third of the beans and purée them with a hand blender until you have a thick cream.

Add the dry pasta to the bean saucepan along with a little of the boiling water. Stir in the blended beans and the tomato purée and, if necessary, a pinch of salt. The soup should not become too thick, so add more boiling water as needed, stirring with a ladle to blend everything together. Continue cooking and stirring until the pasta is tender.

Serve with grated Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

Reprinted with permission from A Tuscan Table: Seasonal Vegetarian Recipes from Italy by Luca Calvani, Mitchell Beazley. Photo © Edoardo Colombo.

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