Thursday, February 4, 2021

Pasta Fazool

Is a Neapolitan[1] soup or stew based on pasta and beans. In standard Italian it is called: “pasta e fagioli”; In Neapolitan it is “pasta e fasule”. The later was Americanized as pasta fazool by a pop song: “That’s Amore” sung by Dean Martin, the lyrics of which begin: “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore” and include: "When the stars make you drool, just like pasta fazool, that's amore".

The dish is made of 3 basic parts: beans, pasta, and a seasoned base (soffritto).

Beans: The most common varieties are borlotti (called cranberry beans in the US), cannellini, and Great Northerns. You may be able to substitute pinto beans for the borlottis. I used dried beans which I soaked in broth overnight before cooking.

Pasta: In Neapolitan tradition pasta e fasule is made with whatever miscellaneous pastas are lying around the pantry (munuzzaglia). Some recipes recommend breaking spaghetti into small pieces. One variety frequently recommended is ditalini (a/k/a tubettini). Elbows would seem to fit the bill. I used penne that I chopped up after cooking but before adding it to the final combination.

Soffritto: The basic soffritto is an onion, a couple of carrots and a stalk of celery that are minced and sautéed. For pasta fazool, the base is amended with garlic, added at the outset, and herbs. Most recipes add tomatoes to the base. Different forms are recommended including fresh tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and canned tomatoes. I used canned diced tomatoes.

Herbs: The herbs that most recipes call for are oregano, parsley, and bay. I used oregano because it seems more typically Italian. When the recipes call for parsley, I assume they mean flat leaf Italian parsley instead of the curly leaf decorative parsley, which has almost no flavor.

Liquid: The dish of course needs a liquid to bind the parts together. Most recipes recommend broth. You could use any broth, or even water. Some recipes call Pasta Fazool a soup and some call it a stew. I prefer creamy and thick.

The liquids in which the beans and the pasta cook absorb starches from them, which will help give the dish body. Therefore I cooked the pasta in broth, then soaked the beans in the broth that was used to cook the pasta, and cooked the beans in the broth in which they were soaked. I needed to add some more broth in the process because volume was lost by evaporation during the cooking process.

Meat. Many recipes call for meat, especially pancetta, Italian bacon. and for using the grease from the meat for the soffritto. This seems to be optional. I had a cup of cooked Italian Sausage, that I added at the end.

Other: I added a cup of cooked mushrooms.

Ingredients:

1.   8 oz. dried Borlotti beans

2.   8 oz. dried pasta

3.   2 quarts broth

4.   1 medium onion diced

5.   8 oz. grated carrots

6.   4 oz. diced celery

7.   4 cloves of garlic

8.   1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes

9.   1 Tbs. dried oregano

10.   Olive oil

11.  1 cup sliced sautéed mushrooms (optional)

12.   1 cup cooked Italian Sausage cut up in small pieces (optional)

Process:

Day 1

1.   Cook Pasta in broth to al dente. Drain and reserve broth.

2.   Rinse beans. Soak beans in broth overnight in the refrigerator.

Day 2:

1.   In separate pot cook the beans in a quart of the soaking liquid at a soft boil. They will need to cook for about an hour.

2.   Sauté onions in large pot until they are clear. Add garlic, carrots, celery, and oregano, to the pot and continue the sauté.

3.   Drain tomatoes reserving the liquid, add them to the pot, and continue the sauté.

4.   Add remaining soaking liquid and liquid drained from tomatoes to the pot and bring to a soft boil.

5.   Once the beans have cooked, add them and the cooking liquid to the large pot and bring back to a soft boil.

6.   Add the pasta, and cook for 15 minutes.

7.   (Optional) add mushrooms and sausage.

Allow the finished product to cool off,  and store it in the refrigerator overnight, if you can. This is one of those dishes that improves as it rests and the flavors can meld. You may have to add more liquid to reheat it for serving.

Makes about 4 quarts

[1] I claim no Italian heritage nor Neapolitan. This recipe is based solely on my research and experiments.

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