“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie… That’s amore“. This 50’s era hit is one of my favourite songs when doing karaoke. I always manage to get a good laugh out of my audience belting out this Italian American classic at the top of my lungs. I’ve always told myself they laugh at the incongruity of it all, but it’s more likely they’re laughing at my bad singing.
In the second verse, there’s a mention of Pasta Fazool, and I’ve always wondered what it is that made the songwriter drool. Getting me to sing requires copious amounts of alcohol though, and the last thing I’m thinking about the next morning is to Google “pasta fazool”, so it’s long remained a mystery. That is, until last month, when Stacey from Stacey Snacks posted about Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and beans), which is the proper Italian name for this dish. Mystery solved!
This month, Susan from Sticky Gooey Chewy Creamy is hosting Dinner and a Movie, and she chose Moonstruck. I’d never seen the movie before, so I watched it last night and as soon as I heard That’s Amore in the opening sequence, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.
Pasta e Fagioli started out life as a meatless peasant dish, and like many of the other peasant dishes I’ve posted in the past, there are as many variations as there are cooks that make this dish. Apparently in some dialects of Italian, fagioli is pronounced “fazuːl”, which explains why it’s known as Pasta Fazool here.
For my version, I wanted to strike a balance between the old world and new, so I’ve used the traditional borlotti beans, but I’ve also added meat to the peasant classic. It all starts off with a basic soffritto, which lays down the base layer of flavour for this stew (as well as most stews for that matter). Then, stock, tomatoes, meat, and beans go in until the beans are tender and the whole thing is a thick hearty consistency. It’s finished with some short pasta and in this version I’ve used orecchiette. In keeping with old world traditions of letting nothing go to waste, the meat in this one is leftover meatloaf and I’ve also added some Parmesan rind to impart its nutty flavour into the stock.
Ingredients
-
3
inch piece
leftover meatloaf (chopped)
-
1/2
pound
Italian sausage
for soffritto
-
2
medium
onions chopped
-
3
ribs
celery chopped
-
2
medium
carrots chopped
-
6
cloves
garlic minced
for soup
-
1/4
cup
dry vermouth
- 4 cups
-
2
cups
tomatoes chopped
-
3/4
cups
borlotti beans (cranberry) soaked overnight
-
1
piece
Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (optional)
-
1/4
cups
fresh basil chopped
-
1
bay leaf
-
4
sprigs
fresh thyme
-
salt to taste
-
black pepper to taste
-
4
ounces
dried pasta (I used orecchiette)
-
Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
Steps
-
If you are using uncooked meat such as pancetta or Italian sausage, brown them first, transfer to a plate, then use the fat they release to make the soffritto.
-
If you are use precooked meat or are making this vegetarian, add a generous splash of olive oil to a stock pot (about 2 Tbs).
-
Fry the ingredients for the soffritto until soft and about halved in volume. This process deepens the flavour of the soffritto (aka mirepoix) through a Maillard reaction, which causes sugars in the veggies to react with amino acids to form new flavour compounds.
-
Add the vermouth to the soffritto and cook until there is no liquid left. Add the chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, beans, Parmesan rind, basil, bay leaf and thyme. Allow this to simmer uncovered until the beans are tender (about 1 1/2 hours). If the soup start getting too thick, add a bit of water and continue cooking with a lid.
-
When the beans are tender, taste for salt and add more if needed. Add the pasta and cook until tender, you may need to add a bit more water if the pasta absorbs too much. Serve with bread and a generous dusting of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Notes:
Jake says
Great dish Marc –
I made a few modifications (doesn’t one always?) and it turned out great. Had the whole family singing for this one 😉
Jake says
Great dish Marc –
I made a few modifications (doesn’t one always?) and it turned out great. Had the whole family singing for this one 😉
L Powers says
I love this recipe and make it all the time.
One bone of contention, though: The vegetables in soffritto and mirepoix undergo caramelization, not the Maillard reaction.
JR says
Mama never put wine in the pasta é fagioli. She made what you call the soffritto (she called it the batutto) with the above ingredients and pancetta or salt pork. Never stock. Only water. For the pasta? Always tubetini! I make it the way she taught me, and it takes me years back right to her cucina!
Wayne Pidgeon says
I use 1can White cannolini beans and 1can Red beans or Kidney beans both drained and rinsed
Wayne Pidgeon says
I use 1can White cannolini beans and 1can Red beans or Kidney beans both drained and rinsed