Pasta e Fagioli

If you are looking for a low calorie soup, this is not for you! Pasta and beans are considered a peasant dish in Italy but not in my kitchen. This recipe is for a soup but it's really a stew with the addition of bacon and meatballs. I guess it's my New Jersey accent that makes me call this dish "Pasta Fazool" dropping the vowel that most Italian words end in. The only basic rule to keep this recipe a traditional Italian soup is that it contains pasta and beans.

I can't even tell you where this recipe came from but I've been making it for over 35 years. When I went to the butcher yesterday and requested slab bacon. He laughed and said, "we don't carry that anymore, most people are eating healthier." NOT IN MY KITCHEN, tradition is tradition and I will find slab bacon for my pasta fagioli (noticed I already changed the name of the soup and by the end of this article I will be writing pasta fazool). I made the butcher laugh and told him, "no worries, my cardiologist is on speed dial!" This is not a meal that I would make all the time. Tradition has it that the first cool weather day, Mom is making pasta fazool. (see there it is, I didn't even make the end of the recipe!)

This is my Father's recipe that he always made when the cool weather arrived. So......TRADITION (Yes, I broke out into the song from Fiddler on the Roof!) now you can make it too for your family. This freezes great, just add a little water when heating it up.

Let's get cooking, you'll need

1lb of slab bacon OR Hormel Cured Salt Pork

1 lb thick cut bacon

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 box Ronzoni #40 Ditalini Pasta

Garlic bread to garnish

1 bay leaf

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 can white cannellini beans

1 can red kidney beans

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cans (that the beans came in) of water

In a large soup pot heat the oil and add the onions. When the onions are soft add the garlic. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. While this is cooking you need to prep your salt pork by removing the skin. You can save this to fry later to garnish the soup as cracklins, that would be delish but my family is not a fan.

To remove the skin you'll need a sharp knife. Start by cutting the corner of the pork between the skin and the fat. Do not remove a lot of fat, that's where the flavor is. Slowly and carefully keep cutting the skin back. I roll it back and use my knife like a skilled surgeon. This is the most difficult part of this recipe. Yes, you can just chop some of the fat away and the skin in one sharp cut, but I like to preserve as much as I can, After all, I paid for it and I like to respect as much of the animal as I can when I'm cooking.

Cut the salt pork or slab bacon into small diced cubes and cut the bacon into cubes. Add to the pot and cook until it's almost brown. Now you're house has that amazing aroma of bacon, onions and garlic. I really think this should be a new scent for an air freshener. Maybe I should suggest that to Glade and they can call it "Mama's Kitchen".

Add your beans without draining the liquid they come in. I know, it's full of salt and with all this bacon do I really need more salt? The answer is YES, you need that liquid fortified by the beans. Refill the empty bean can with water and add to the pot. Stir and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

It's time to make mini meatballs to drop into the pot. I found an easy way to make perfect little meatballs, is to use the larger end of a melon baller. Scoop and drop the meatballs into the pot and stir GENTLY, you don't want to break up your meatballs.

Allow this to cook for 10 minutes until the meatballs will turn a light brown.

In a separate pot boil water for the pasta and add a drizzle of olive oil. This has been debated if the oil is needed to keep the pasta from sticking together. If you're going to add gravy (sauce to most) do not add the oil when cooking.

In this situation, the oil will coat the pasta and only a little sauce will be absorbed by the pasta. With pasta fazool (there it is again), it's good to add the oil so the pasta doesn't soak up all the liquid. The only pasta for this recipe is Ronzoni #40 Ditalini - you must use DITALINI or it's not traditional pasta e fagioli. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box but do not drain the pasta water.

Add the pasta in the water to the soup. This looks like a lot of liquid but it will cook down and the pasta will plump up and absorb some of the liquid. Add your spices and stir. Shut off and cover, allowing the soup to stay on the stove for 10 more minutes before serving.

I like to serve this with garlic bread so you can dip it in the soup and get every drop out of the bowl. Once you taste this soup, you'll realize why it's requested in my house often.

Traditional pasta e fagioli has a tomato base and when I tell them my pasta fazool is white and has a bacon base, they think I'm crazy - until they try it!

I finish the dish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. You can add grated parmigiano reggiano cheese or red hot pepper flakes on top before serving.

NOTE: when reheating this soup, you'll need to add a little water.