Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart
You all know how that popular rhyme ends, right? Sorry, kids, for the purposes of this post, I will be focusing on the first line only. Beans *are* good for your heart. Take this pasta e fagioli (white bean soup) recipe, for example. My friend Monica always asks me to make it when she's needing some comfort food, and my friend Hara wrote me over the weekend asking for the recipe because she wanted something to warm her up. (Hard to believe that it's still cold in some places. The sun is setting on an 80-degree day here in Southern California.) This is just the kind of dish that makes you feel warm and cozy inside, literally and figuratively.
Lots of Italians have their own special version of pasta e fagioli depending on their region, town, or family. I wish I could take credit for this one, but that goes to Viana La Place and Evan Kleinman. They featured it in their book Cucina Rustica back in 1990. I am looking at my worn copy as I type, pages stained and warped right around this recipe. I've been making it for over fifteen years, and it definitely falls into the "most requested" category. File this one someplace safe. Someone may ask you for it sometime.
Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients:
1 small onion, peeled and chopped fine4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 cups canned tomatoes
8-10 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne
Handful chopped Italian parsley
3 15-ounce cans Italian cannellini beans, undrained
or 6 cups cooked dried white beans with their cooking liquid
5 cups water
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 ounces imported dried pasta, such as elbows, broken spaghetti, or tiny shells
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Directions:
1. Saute the onion in the olive oil in a medium-sized soup pot until soft. Add the garlic and saute until it turns opaque and releases it's aroma. Add the tomatoes, basil, and parsley, and cook over moderately high heat until tomatoes become saucey.
2. Add the beans with their liquid and the water. Cook over medium heat at least 15 minutes, or until beans begin to break down and soup thickens. Just before serving, add the pasta to the simmering soup and cook until al dente.
3. Serve immediately. Pass additional extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling over the soup.
Serves: 6
[Editor's note: A few things. A thick crust of toasted garlic bread makes the perfect accompaniment here. I always top off the soup with a healthy spoonful (or two) of Parmigiano Reggiano. You'll want to use a nice olive oil for drizzling, as you're adding just before serving. If you don't think you'll demolish the whole pot in one sitting, I would add the pasta to only a portion of the soup. (I.e. if there are only two of you, portion out two servings of soup, and then add/boil the pasta.) That way you won't be stuck with mushy pasta and pasty liquid in your leftover portion.]Do you have a favorite version of pasta e fagioli? A secret family recipe? Share it with me!
Photo credit: Northern Virginia Magazine
--StellaCadente*
Cindy Wambeam on February 16, 2010 at 11:20 PM
I am SO making this tomorrow! :)
StellaCadente* on February 17, 2010 at 12:12 AM
Let me know how you like it. You should get a few meals out of it, too. (Depending on how many people you have to share it with!)
Bruce on February 17, 2010 at 07:41 AM
1 word . . . Mmmmmmmmmm!
Bruce on February 17, 2010 at 12:12 PM
I always heard it as "Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more . . ."
StellaCadente* on February 17, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Bruce, the alternate version goes..."Beans, beans, good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you..."
Cindy Wambeam on February 18, 2010 at 01:23 AM
I did indeed make this for dinner tonight, and it was fabulous! It was so fabulous, in fact, that it inspired a blog post from me:
http://www.meltingteapot.com/blog5.php/2010/02/18/pasta-e-fagioli
I made a half recipe, since there are only two of us. Next time I'm making a whole batch because I want leftovers. :) Thanks for sharing your recipe. It is sure to become a staple in our house.
StellaCadente* on February 18, 2010 at 12:08 PM
Thanks Cindy for your nice post! I am so glad you liked the soup! Definitely one of my favorites!
Tibor on February 19, 2010 at 04:34 AM
Hi Stella,
your soup is gorgeous :). Definetly I'll try it out.
If you don't mind I recommend you an other type of bean soup. This is the Hungarian bean soup, you can find the recipe here: http://www.best-things-in-hungary.com/hungarian-bean-soup.html
I hope you will give a try to this soup and post the result on your blog. It is really worth trying it out.
Have a nice day!
Tibor
HopeSew on February 21, 2010 at 04:07 AM
It looks so tasty! I wish beans were easier to find here. Can you recommend some substitutes if I can't get cannellini beans?
StellaCadente* on February 22, 2010 at 08:24 PM
HopeSew: I like S&W Small White Beans, which seem to be in most grocery stores.
HopeSew on February 23, 2010 at 04:57 AM
Thanks! I'll look for those. :)