Saturday, January 9, 2010

Italian Bean and Pasta Soup


I took the night off from cooking last night because it was my birthday. So I will make up for it with 2 for tonight. I am watching playoff football and since my team isnt in it, I am only mildly interested. Perfect time to catch up on my blogging. This is what I made us for dinner tonight
Italian Bean and Pasta Soup

adapted from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dried cranberry, cannellini or other small
    white beans ***I used 2 large cans of Cannelini Beans***
  • 3 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped pancetta
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 cups water or chicken stock, or as needed
  • 1 1/2 cups diced canned plum tomatoes
  • 2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 lb. small dried pasta, such as shells or
    ditalini
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for serving
  • Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Directions:

Pick over the beans and discard any misshapen beans and stones. Rinse the beans, drain and place in a saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain. ***I skipped and used canned Beans***

In a Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the water, beans, tomatoes and 2 tsp. salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour. ***My beans were very soft after simmering for 20 minutes***

To give the soup more body, remove 2 large spoonfuls of beans and vegetables and puree in a blender or food processor, then return the puree to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and reheat gently. *** I pulsed my hand blender a few times***

When the soup is almost ready, bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir well and cook until barely al dente (tender but firm to the bite), about 8 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and add it to the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes more.

To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Top each serving with a swirl of extra-virgin olive oil, some grated cheese and a generous grinding of pepper.
Serves 6.
LOVED this soup. I had never cooked with Pancetta before which I find really crazy. I always saw the big hunks of it and never knew what to do with that much. But I saw my deli sells it in slices so I could finally try it. It added a whole other layer of flavor and I really liked it. I have made this soup a few times with different recipes but this by far is my absolute new favorite. I wish we didnt eat it for dinner so there would have been more leftovers. I dont know if using canned beans as opposed to dry beans makes a difference but it cut the time down a lot so for me that's just the way it is. If anyone does it the WS way let me know how it goes.

2 comments:

  1. Did you use water or chicken stock in yours?

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  2. I used box stock. Not broth, but stock. Rachel Ray and Emeril both make a nice one that I like and use in almost everything. I find the Kitchen Basic brand a little salty.

    ReplyDelete