Pasta and beans is a classic soup in Italy and can be served thin or thicker as you prefer. This is an adapted version of a recipe from THE RIVER CAFE COOKBOOK by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. Hard to beat.
The beans need soaking and cooking first. I used fava beans as I didn’t have borlotti beans. Soak 250g (8¾ oz) of beans in 4 times the water overnight. If you haven’t planned ahead, fear not as you can use a quick-soak method. Bring the beans to boil for 4 minutes and then soak them for 1 hour. When the beans are soaked, cook them in fresh water until they are soft but still retaining their shape and then set them aside in their cooking liquid. In a heavy saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry 3 chopped onions and a generous amount of chopped celery. When the onion is soft add 4 minced cloves of garlic, the chopped leaves of a bunch of fresh rosemary, 3 crumbled dried chillies and 200g (7 oz) of pancetta, prosciutto or in my case, bacon. Brown the bacon or pancetta then add 1 large or 2 small cans of chopped tomatoes and their juices. Cook for 20 minutes allowing the liquid to reduce. Meanwhile, in some boiling salted water, cook 250g (8¾ oz) of pasta. The original recipe suggests penne but I had thick fusili in my pantry. The pasta should be just al dente. While the pasta cooks, purée half of the beans in some of their liquid and add them to the tomato mixture along with the whole beans. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the soup. Use the remaining bean liquid to thin the soup to your liking. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve garnished with grated parmesan, fresh chopped parsley and a drizzle of good olive oil.
michelle picker cooks 