Mo's Pasta E. Fagioli

You can find the Carrabba's Cookbook: Recipes from Around Our Family Table on our shelf at 641.5995 C

Mo loves Carrabba's and chose to make Carrrabba's infamous Pasta E Fagoili  as her soup for this month's theme (Recipe is shown on pg 28 & 29). 

The Carrabba Version:

Ingredients:

1 pound dried cannellini (white kidney beans)

4 ounces sliced pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch dice

2 tablespoons EVOO 

2 ounces sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 medium red onion chopped, minced

3 celery ribs, cut into 1/4 inch dice
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/4th teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken stock (see previous post on how to prepare stocks)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 cups broken (1 inch lengths) bucatini or soup pasta such as ditalini
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving.

Preparation:

At least 4 hours before cooking the soup, put beans in a large bowl and add enough water ti cover the beans by 2 inches, Let soak for 4 hours, or bring beans and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans.

Cook the pancetta and oil together in a soup pot over medium heat just until the pancetta is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to paper towels, leaving the fat in the pan. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, until  beginning to browns, about 2 minutes. Add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the celery until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes more.  Add garlic, rosemary, oregano,  bay leaf and cook, stirring often, until the onion is golden, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the broth, crushed tomatoes, drained beans, and reserved pancetta. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with the lid ajar. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thick and the beans are tender, about 2 1/2 hours, adding water, if needed. Remove the bay leaf.

Note: When beans are cooked with tomatoes, a chemical reaction makes them take a long time to cook, so this soup refuses to be rushed. 

When the beans are tender, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and stir well. Cook, stirring often, according to the package directions , until the pasta is al dente. Drain well, reserving about 3 cups of the pasta water. 

Add the pasta to the soup, Stir enough of the pasta water to give the soup a loose, soupy consistency. Season with salt and pepper, Ladle into soup bowls and drizzle each serving with olive oil. Serve hot, with Parmesan cheese passed on the side. 

Mo's version varied slightly from this version in that she substituted pancetta and prosciutto for beef, and used shells instead of butalini or ditalini as she had these ingredients readily available. 

Her version inspired by Carrabba's was divine!