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Also known as pasta e fagioli or pasta and beans, depending on who you talk to. It's a pretty traditional, cheap and easy to make Italian dish with lots of variations. It is usually vegetarian, but some regions (most notably Bari) use pancetta. Some are thin and use no tomatoes, while others are almost stew-like and are slammed with tomatoes. That's the beauty about this dish and soups in general: they allow for a lot of creativity, and are generally forgiving when your experiment fucks up!
This one was more of a clean out the cabinets before I go shopping dish. Ditalini is usually the pasta served, but tortellini is common too. Cannellini is the traditional bean, but fuck that noise. I'm doing what I want today.
The most important things about this are:
1) that you do a soffritto
2) if you are gonna add meat, get good pancetta, not bacon or any pre-cut bullshit.
3) if you do use tomato in yours, it will be infinitely better if you get yourself a can of San Marzanos
Also, since I am using pancetta, and I add pecorino to the soup at the end, I wait until the very end to season with salt and do it to taste. Don't do it early. This soup will reduce, and the flavors will concentrate. If you salt early, it will be really salty.
Since I kinda winged this, my measurements might be off. If you have too strong of any flavor, just add some water to dilute. If there isn't enough flavor, tinker with it to taste, a little at a time.
Do feel free to toss in comments, suggestions, whatever. I am always open to suggestions!!! Post your version, with recipe, if you chose!!!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MU2mm77l.jpg)
The line up
Not pictured: the extra box of broth I needed, parsley I found stuffed in the freezer, a can of corn I chucked in towards the end, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, bay leaves, basil
Soffritto is a 2:1:1 of onions (+shallots):carrots:celery. (I think I used another stalk than what you see there, and then just made an equal pile of carrots) Obviously, real carrots would be preferred, but this was a clean out. Chop all that, put aside in a bowl. Cube up your pancetta. Mince your garlic. You are ready to start!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Ax4Fvhwl.jpg)
soffritto
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/DhhVoNcl.jpg)
pancetta... the hell if I know how much that actually is. This is for you to guesstimate if you're following me
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/pIBX8vUl.jpg)
a little good olive oil, a little butter, drop it in
Go easy on the oil and the butter. This goes in first because it will release its own juices. Just get it a little golden colored and add in the soffritto
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Aci5hZyl.jpg)
all mixed up
Keep it on a medium heat and stir occasionally so it doesn't burn. Once it starts to soften up, toss in your garlic. I used 3 big cloves, but I ended up doing a bunch of powder at the end to get it where it needed to be. If you're shooting for a similar sized batch, you could honestly do 5 if you wanted. Or play it safe and powder at the end. Just make sure when you dump the garlic, you stir so it doesn't burn. 90 seconds of cooking in the garlic is enough, then you dump in your broth
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/K2ri0aIl.jpg)
The pic up top is inaccurate. That box wasn't full and once I realized how much stuff was going in, I just cracked another. I probably used 1.5 - 1.75 boxes. HOnestly, you could just do two full ones since I am looking at the left overs now and it is very very stew-ish.
Wash your potatoes and cube them while the liquid reaches a light boil. Dump them in. Then, add in thyme (go easy here--a little dry goes a very long way, and you can always adjust late), 2-3 bay leaves, a generous helping of pepper and some chopped parsley (your guess is as good as mine. I found it later one but I woulda added here)
Let that go for a bit on a low medium. Let it get a simmer, light boil and your potatoes should be starting to soften. Next step:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ogffdUfl.jpg)
In go the tomatoes. Easiest way to do this since that can I used is whole tomatoes in sauce: Over the pot, cup hand over can so the tomatoes don't fall out, pour in juice. Then, in the can, use your hand to mash up the tomatoes and pour in.
At this point, I started adding basil. I have a basil plant, so I was just adding a bunch at random. Probably like 5 - 6 smallish leaves here, and a bunch more later on to taste at the end. I also add in my corn (drain fully), and beans (I did a light drain but most of the juice went in)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/1Cm9wxHl.jpg)
Cook it til it starts thickening up like so
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/AN1gKSzl.jpg)
Add in pasta. It will cook just like in water
At this point, you wanna grab your grated pecorino. Take a little pinch of it and sprinkle in the pot. DOn't overdo it though or it will taste too strongly. Stir it in. It will thicken a tad and give it a very nice taste. At this point, salt if necessary, and do any other seasoning adjustments while the pasta finishes.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/k2FKDDml.jpg)
booyah
I really got to find a real camera and learn how to properly do white balance on pixlr 
Hope everyone enjoyed! Any comments, questions, or pics of your own recipe are more than welcome!!!
 
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You called?
Can I replace beans with corn?
fo realz, this looks mad good man! I'll try this as soon as I figure the ingredients in german
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Heheh I thought you'd show up after I mentioned you!
I suppose you good, but it will be a lot lighter. Maybe just do corn, cubed squash, etc. basically veggie soup. Any beans will do I think though.
thanks!!
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mmm, hopefully ill be able to reach that master level of chefery someday!
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On August 15 2013 08:15 Torte de Lini wrote:
You called?
Can I replace beans with corn?
fo realz, this looks mad good man! I'll try this as soon as I figure the ingredients in german
it's sometimes hard to follow good sounding recipes in foreign countries 
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Chef Hawk, send him your restaurant ads, USA USA USA.
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What went through my mind when I read this.
A black guy eating a bowl of that.
Guy comes up "hey is that pasta?"
"THIS AINT PASTA FOOL"*he shouts this for some reason, he got offended at his culinary ignorance I guess*
"its pasta fazool"
Ijou desu
Im racist I guess
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On August 15 2013 08:38 Race is Terran wrote:
mmm, hopefully ill be able to reach that master level of chefery someday!
it's super easy!! there's really not much that can go wrong here. the only thing to watch is how much thyme you use and how much salt you use. if you really wanna dumb it down til you get better, you can just omit thyme and just let people salt individual bowls. the rest is really quite simple! the soffritto, just chop an onion, and then chop equal parts carrot and celery so that the pile of both together equal that of the onion. other than that, it would be pretty hard to mess up
On August 15 2013 08:47 docvoc wrote:
Chef Hawk, send him your restaurant ads, USA USA USA.
:D
On August 15 2013 09:33 Nibbler89 wrote:
What went through my mind when I read this.
A black guy eating a bowl of that.
Guy comes up "hey is that pasta?"
"THIS AINT PASTA FOOL"*he shouts this for some reason, he got offended at his culinary ignorance I guess*
"its pasta fazool"
Ijou desu
Im racist I guess
Hahahahahha
fazool is generally how it pronounced in the states, and how it sounds in Neapolitan dialect
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I was already hungry beforehand, now even more so...
need food brb....
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Estonia4644 Posts
wowow hawk
didnt expect this from you
for some reason
but this looks delicious!!!
Not much of a soup guy, but this seems worth trying
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On August 15 2013 08:43 DusTerr wrote:Show nested quote +On August 15 2013 08:15 Torte de Lini wrote:
You called?
Can I replace beans with corn?
fo realz, this looks mad good man! I'll try this as soon as I figure the ingredients in german it's sometimes hard to follow good sounding recipes in foreign countries
No freakin' kidding ):
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I didn't know this recipe under this name. Looks very close to a Minestrone imo. Italian beans + pasta thick soup flavored with carrot/onion/celery/tomatoes.
Looking good !
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On August 15 2013 18:02 fusefuse wrote:
wowow hawk
didnt expect this from you
for some reason
but this looks delicious!!!
Not much of a soup guy, but this seems worth trying
Thanks!!
I cook a fair amount. Hardly a pro cook or anything, but I at least know my way around the kitchen
and I have shit for camera equipment so I can't do anything fancy like kierpanda or the other food bloggers on here, but soon enough that will change!
I am more of a stew guy myself. most of my soups tend to be on the thicker side of things. we had random cold weather here. it was 50 or so when i played soccer last night! between that and the fact that i didnt have much else to cook with, I did soup. perfect timing
On August 15 2013 18:47 endy wrote:
I didn't know this recipe under this name. Looks very close to a Minestrone imo. Italian beans + pasta thick soup flavored with carrot/onion/celery/tomatoes.
Looking good !
Hahaha wow I didn't even think of how similar they are. I think the main difference is in the beans used in the traditional recipes. I'll ask my grandmother what she thinks though.
Thanks!
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EPT
