Pasta E Fagioli Penne With Beans And Escarole Recipes

PASTA E FAGIOLI WITH ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Bring beans, Parmesan rind, carrots, celery, head of garlic, parsley, rosemary, bay leaves, chiles, and 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes. Discard vegetables, rind, and herbs.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium. Cook onion and chopped garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8-10 minutes. Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands, and cook, stirring often, until liquid is almost completely reduced, 12-15 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• Add beans and their liquid; cook until flavors meld, 12-15 minutes. Add pasta; cook, stirring and adding more water as needed, until al dente, 15-20 minutes. Add escarole and cook until wilted, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper. Serve soup drizzled with oil and topped with Parmesan and more chile.

PENNE PASTA WITH CANNELLINI BEANS AND ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and cook the penne pasta 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the escarole, cannellini beans and liquid, and diced tomatoes with garlic and onion until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with the cooked pasta to serve.

PASTA E FAGIOLI AL TENORE: TENOR'S PASTA AND BEANS

Steps:

• Place a large, heavy soup pot, over medium heat. Cook the sausage links with a small amount of water, covered, until the sausage has browned, about 10 minutes.
• Remove sausages to a plate and let cool. Once cooled chop into pieces and then use a food processor to finely ground the sausage pieces. Brown the bacon/pancetta in the same pot as used for the sausage links, using a little olive oil if necessary. When the bacon/pancetta is browned, not crisped, add back to the pot the chopped sausage and ground beef, and cook until both have browned, about 15 minutes.
• Next add the onions, celery, and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the stock and skim (recommend use of a gravy separator) to remove excess fat. Continue to cook at a simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a food processor, blend tomato sauce with 1 cup cannellini beans until smooth. Pour the mixture into the pot then add the remaining cannellini beans, kidney beans, tomatoes and herbs. After 5 minutes, add the pasta and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the orzo and carrots and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Add more water or stock if necessary to produce a thick stew like consistency. Serve with grated Parmigiano and chopped basil.

PHIL'S PASTA FAZOOL WITH ESCAROLE (PASTA FAGIOLI)

Steps:

• Add olive oil to the pot, increase the heat to medium-high, and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes.
• Add the carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften and brown, about 2 minutes more. Be sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes, salt & black pepper and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat.
• When the broth reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium, add HALF of the beans.
• Mash the remaining beans with a fork or wooden spoon and add them to the pot, stirring to distribute.
• Stir in the optional escarole, adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, and simmer until the escarole is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (I cover the pot loosely during this step to prevent too much reduction in the broth.).
• Meanwhile cook the pasta to al dente.
• Stir in the cooked pasta just before serving. Note that the pasta will absorb a lot of the broth.
• Top the dish with grated cheese to taste.
• (It's even better the next day!).

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Soak the Borlotti beans in water to cover overnight.
• Heat the olive oil and cook the prosciutto ends for five minutes. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes with their juice, the beans and the stock. Bring to boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and continue cooking until the beans are soft (about 20 more minutes).
• In a food processor, puree half the beans with some of their cooking liquid and return puree to the saucepan. Check density of the soup and add stock if it is too thick.
• Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook the penne in boiling salted water until it is barely al dente. Drain it and add it to the soup. Correct the seasoning.
• Serve the soup in individual heated bowls with a helping of extra-virgin olive oil swirled into each portion, along with a handful of chopped greens. Pass the Parmesan cheese separately.