An excellent soup, full-bodied and flavorful, this pasta and beans is a very representative dish of the Veneto peasant tradition.
The peasants of the past, in fact, consumed a lot of beans, a “poor” food par excellence: being very rich from a nutritional point of view, they were a worthy substitute for meat, which not all families could afford.
PASTA & FAGIOLI ALLA VENETA
Pasta and Beans Venetian-Style
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Dried Borlotti Beans
- 1 Cups Ditalini Pasta
- 2 Ribs Celery
- 1/2 Cup Tomato Puree
- 1 Medium Onion
- 1 Large Carrot
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Sprig Rosemary
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste
- Salt to taste
- Ground Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Soak the beans in a bowl of cold water for at least 12 hours, then drain and set aside.
- Clean the carrot, celery and onion, wash them, dry them and cut them into small pieces that you will brown in a pot with 3 tablespoons of oil.
- After a few minutes, when the onion is transparent, add the beans and cook for a couple of minutes.
- At this point add the tomato puree and sprinkle with pepper.
- Continue cooking on medium heat for two minutes and then cover with cold water, add the bay leaf and rosemary and cook on medium-low heat for about 3 hours.
- When cooked, remove the rosemary sprig and bay leaves and set aside one-third of the beans.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of oil and blend with an immersion blender, then pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any traces of the bean skins.
- Cook the pasta separately, keeping it al dente, drain it and add it to the bean puree along with the whole beans.
- Heat without boiling and serve with a round of excellent extra virgin olive oil and, for those who like it, a sprinkling of pepper.
- In warm weather you can serve this soup at room temperature.
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