Pasta e Fagioli

This is something I ate all the time on my mission...it's a sort soup/pasta dish constructed mainly of Beans, Pasta, and Potatoes. It's a true Poor Man's Food in that it can be prepared for around $3.00 (as long as you already own some spices...a bottle of Basil can cost $5.00, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil is pricey, too), it's easy to prepare, and tastes wonderful.

I've used a few recipes since I've been home. This one is the best I've tried, by far. The key is to mash the beans...don't leave that out or it's not the same.



Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)
Ingredients
-2 cloves garlic
-2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-1 stick celery
-1 Carrot
-1 Large Tomato, peeled and seeded
-2 medium potatoes (or one large), peeled and
diced small enough that two or three can fit on
a soup spoon
-4 C chicken stock (I just use reconstituted
bouillon...but I reconstitute it before I add it
to the soup)
-2 cans small beans (Borlotti, if you can find them)
-200g small pasta (I like ditalini rigati best,
but you can use tubettini or whatever you've got
at home...but a small, salad style pasta works best)
-1/4 t Cayenne pepper, or 1 small fresh chili pepper, chopped fine
-2 fresh basil leaves, or 2 tsp dried basil
-Fresh ground black pepper
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil (again)
fresh grated Parmesan cheese (optional)


Process
Okay....so that's your ingredient list. Peel the carrot.
Chop the carrot, celery, and tomato into small cubes. You
want the carrot and celery really small. Peel the potatoes,
and chope them into small cubes, but larger than your carrots
and celery. Put the 2T olive oil in a pot with a thick bottom,
smash the garlic with the flat side of your knife, and add it
to the oil. Sautee it until it's lightly brown, being careful
not to burn it. Once it's brown, add the rest of those
vegetables. Sautee them for 5 minutes. The tomato will try and
stick to the bottom of your pan...just don't worry about that too much.

Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, and let it simmer for five
minutes. While it's coming to a boil, drain both cans of beans.
Mash one of them with a fork or something. After the vegetables
have simmered for five minutes, add the beans, pasta, basil, and
cayenne pepper/chili. Cook it gently until the pasta is al dente,
about 8 minutes for ditalini rigati...Make sure you don't overcook
the pasta. Pasta tastes immeasurably better when it's been cooked right.
Serve it in a bowl with a trickle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh-grated
Parmesan cheese, and fresh ground black pepper. It's pretty dang good!

Here's a printable version.