PASTA E FAGIOLI

Fall and Winter call for soups or more soupy pasta dishes, like Pasta e Fagioli (pasta with beans).
It is an example of what we call Cucina Povera or peasant dishes due to its low cost but good nutritional value.

INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR PEOPLE:

1 chopped celery stalk
1 medium size chopped carrot
1 clove of garlic
1 small diced onion
Some diced prosciutto for extra flavor - optional
EVOO
About 3 1/2 quarts of vegetable stock
Black pepper
Some fresh, minced rosemary
400 gr of pinto beans (you can substitute with canned beans)
250 gr of tomato puree


Sauté the garlic in some olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of a tall pasta pan). Once it becomes golden, remove it and add the chopped onion, carrot and celery. Add a ladle of stock and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the diced prosciutto and cook for a few more minutes. Add another ladle of stock and the tomato puree. Flavor with salt and pepper. Add the cooked beans with a bit of their cooking water (if using canned beans, drain them first). Now add the remaining stock and simmer for about ten minutes. With an immersion blender, partially blend 1/3 of the beans, to give the pasta a creamier consistency. Cook the pasta in the same pot according to pasta directions. Add salt to taste.
Add some hot water if you feel you are running out of liquid.
Once done, remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with freshly grated parmigiano cheese and some finely minced rosemary.