Conference turris::cooks

  Pasta e fagiole (beans). I can't tell you exactly how to make it, but
  I can tell you that in Sicily (and much of Southern Italy), words
  ending in -ola, -ole, -oli and -olo are pronounced "ool", as in
  capicola (gabagool), cannoli (ganool), bracciola (brazhool), and, of
  course, fagiole (fazool or fazhool).

  Anyway, my friend's grandmother basically just made a lima bean soup
  in the manner traditional for many Sicilian soups and stews, and then
  added cooked pasta just before serving. So it went something like
  this:

  Soak dried limas overnight in cold water
  Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender
  Add chicken, veal, or beef stock
  Add limas and chopped vegetables (tomatoes, carrots, okra, celery,
    string beans, parsely, etc.)
  Add seasonings (oregano, thyme, basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper)
  Simmer until everything's very tender
  Cook pasta separately
  Add pasta and serve with grated peccorino

  Maybe somebody's got a real recipe with actual quantities and cooking
  times.

no, no, no....not lima beans, FAVA beans....please, let's think Italian here...

		8^}

  Actually, they may not be exactly the same variety of bean (although
  the French "feve" is a lima bean if I ever saw). The Italians do seem
  to have a slightly rounder bean called "fava", which I've seen in P&F.
  But then, there are quite a few different kinds of limas available in
  the States: white, green, pink, red, etc. For the dish, use whatever
  bean you prefer. I guess that kidney beans would work, and also
  black-eyed peas.

    
    Well, this is how I make it and how my mother and grandmother made it.
    This is so good, I can eat a whole pound of spaghetti with this!
    
    1 can of Red Kidney Beans - Progresso
    1 medium onion
    1 can tomato paste (small can)
    spices
    olive oil
    water
    
    Put a little olive oil in the sauce pan.  Just enough to cover the 
    bottom of the pan.  Cut the onion in fours and separate the pieces
    in the pan.  Add tomato paste.  Cook this until the tomato paste 
    has turned dark red and separates.  Add your spices.  I use: garlic
    powder (or fresh garlic), parsley, oregano, basil, salt, pepper.  I
    don't measure, just to taste.  I guess I could say a couple of shakes
    per spice.  Add can of kidney beans.  Fill this can up with water and
    pour the can of water into the sauce pan.  Stir and let boil for
    about 30-45 minutes. (Medium to low heat) Leave the cover off the pan 
    half way.  This will thicken the sauce.  Usually, when I'm finished 
    putting the sauce together, I put the water on for the pasta.  By the 
    time the pasta's done cooking, the sauce is done.  
    
    Because I don't like kidney beans whole, I put this sauce through the
    blender after it's done cooking.  YUM!  
    
    Enjoy!
    
    Mel  

    Ciao. 
    I coudn't resist ! Even if I don't have a recipe handy I had to clarify
    the followinf:
    
    Pasta e fagioli. ( pr. Pahstah eh phahjohlee)
    ----------------
    
    The original recipe call for BORLOTTI beans. I'll try to find the name
    used in the States, even is the Kidney red stuff sounds good enough.
    
    
    Stay tuned. The recipe will follow. ( From northern Italy, which may be
    different from the Southern one).
    

    Borlotti Beans, I believe, are called WHITE kidney beans.
    
    ??
    
    gailann

           Ingredients     (serves 4)
           -----------

           10 ozs of Kidney Beans  ( Borlotti , no English name , red with
    				     white stripes)
           2  ozs of potatoes
           2  fld. ozs of olive oil
           2  ozs of peeled tomatoes
           2  small bunch made of 1/2 leaf of laurel,
                   1 celery stalk, 1 small carrot, 1/2 onion
           2  stock cubes,
           2  quart of water
           2  ozs chopped bacon
           1  leaf of sage
              fresh rosemary
           3  tbsp fresh parsley
           1  clove  of garlic
           
           3  ozs of home made pasta ( well, you can even use bought one ! )
              salt and freshly grinded pepper
          
        
           The recipe call for  dried  beans.  Start by putting them into
        cold water for 12 hours  then put them (drained) into a pot, with
        the diced potatoes, the oil, (less 1 tbsp that you'll use later),
        the tomatoes, the above bunch with all the components   tied, the
        2 quart of water and the cubes.   Bring  to  boil, reduce the eat
        and let simmer for at least two hours.   Take  out  the bunch and
        smash  3/4 of the beans and put them back(it should  be  a  large
        quart.  Meanwhile in a frying pan fry the bacon with  olive oil ,
        garlic, sage, parsley and  rosemary.   Let it fry enough.  Add it
        to the beans.  Add the paste and let it boil for other 5 minutes. 
        
           At will, when serving , add a tbsp of olive oil per dish.
        
        
        * In  the Easter part of Italy they add 8 ozs of veal tripe, very
        thin to the  bacon.    In this case you must also add another 1/2
        onion and let it fry  with  the  tripe.
       

  Ah, yes, the bacon. That was the important ingredient! Mmmm, thanks
  for that recipe, Marco. I'm getting hungry just reading it. By the
  way, "laurel" is called "bay" in many parts of the States (isn't it
  also called "bay laurel"?).

          From my  all-time  collection.  A good recipe from a DECie.  If
        you add pasta ....
          
          
          
          
          
          
 
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                MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE SENATE-SOUP          11 Jan 86

          
                                 SENATE BEAN SOUP 
                Bean soup as served in the U.S. Senate dining room

          I  lived in suburban Washington DC for  most  of  my  formative
        years.  One of the things that formed in the aforementioned years
        was  a strong impression that the government was full  of  beans.
        One day on a school visit to my senator I learned just how it was
        that the government got to be so full of beans, and  I  came away
        with  the  recipe.    This is one of the best soups I  have  ever
        tasted.   Serve  it  with  a  big  loaf  of  fresh  hot  homemade
        whole-wheat bread, from  which  people  just  tear the bread with
        their fingers.

          The  House of Representatives  serves  a  version  without  the
        onions and garlic and mashed potatoes.
          
          Serves 6
          
        1       lb dried Navy beans 
        1       ham bone (get one with plenty of meat on it)
        12      cups water 
        3       medium onions, chopped fine.
        3       cloves fresh garlic, minced.
        3       celery stalks, chopped fine.
        1/4     cup fresh parsley, (chopped fine)
        1       cup mashed potatoes 
        1       tsp salt (or less to taste)
        1/4     tsp pepper 
        1/4     cup chopped fresh chives
        
        

        Wash the beans and remove  those  that  float  in the wash water.
        Soak beans overnight in enough water  to  cover  them  by several
        inches.  Drain.

        In a large kettle, place 3 quarts of cold water.  Add the drained
        beans and the ham bone, and bring to  a  boil.    Reduce heat and
        simmer,  partially covered, for 2 hours.  If scum  forms  on  the
        surface, skim it off. 

        Chop  the onions, garlic, celery, and parsley.  Add to  the  pot.
        Add the mashed potato to the pot.  Simmer 1 more hour.  Check the
        beans.  If they are not yet tender, then simmer some more.

        Add salt and pepper.  Remove the ham bone and pull the  meat from
        it.  Cut the meat into small chunks, and toss them back into  the
        soup.

        Serve piping hot into preheated bowls, and sprinkle chopped fresh
        chives atop each.



        Great Northern beans are an  adequate  substitute for Navy beans.
        If you forgot to soak them  overnight  and still want to make the
        soup,  you can simmer them for an  hour  and  then  discard  that
        water.    The  beans  end up with slightly  more  flavor  if  you
        cold-soak them.


        You  can  almost  certainly  get  away with using instant  mashed
        potato flakes to acquire the 1 cup of mashed potatoes  that  this
        recipe calls for.


        Time:
        8 hours soaking, 10 minutes preparation, 3 hours cooking.

        Author:
        Brian Reid
        DEC Western Research, Palo Alto, California
        [email protected]		{ihnp4,decvax}!decwrl!reid
 

    Re: .8
    
    bay vs Laurel
    
    I think you're right. i checked the webster and it says that
    Bay=Laurel. But for BAY Leaf it says =The DRIED aromatic leaf of the
    Laurel ( Laurus Nobilis) or the Bayberry (Pimenta acris). When I say 
    1/2 leaf of laurel I mean 1/2 leaf of FRESH laurel ( Laurus Nobilis).
    
    No dried aromatic herb, please ( only exception : oregano, which may 
    only be dried !)
    m

    A note of caution here........ The Mountain Laurel that is found
    growing wild in the Northeast United States.... is a poison.  If you
    burn them the smoke is deadly..... Gives off some kind of gas.  Learned
    this when we had to take some courses in Horticulture.
    
    Bon

    
    
            From the March 1990 Bon Appetit:
    
                                    Pasta Fazool Casserole
    
            1 lb. hot or sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed
            1 lb. ground beef
            1 large onion, chopped
            4 garlic cloves, chopped
            1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
            1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
            1 28-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes, drained, chopped
            2 T tomato paste
            1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
            1 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed, drained
            Salt and Pepper
            1 lb. mostaccioli pasta, freshly cooked
            1/2 cup grated Parmesan
            1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
            12 oz. Fontina or provolone, grated
    
            Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Saute first 6 ingredients in
    heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until sauage and beef are brown,
    crumbling with fork, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste and
    cayenne and simmer for 5 minutes, breaking up tomoatoes with back of 
    spoon.  Add kidney beans and heat through.  Season with salt and pepper.  
    Add mostaccioli, Parmesan, and parsley and toss to combine.  Transfer
    to 9x13-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.
    Bake until chese melts, about 30 minutes.
                                      
    

re:13

I tried this casserole this past weekend and it was delicious!  I do have a
question, though.  Since the recipe calls for only 2 tablespoons of tomato
paste, will the rest of the can last indefinitely in the fridge?  I put the
remainder in a tupperware container and placed it in the fridge, but I want
to make sure that it can still be used after a week or two.

Thanks!

    I'd use it till it started to grow things -- by which time it may have
    been growing them for a while. ...
    
    Certainly it's still good for a few weeks.
    
    ed

    I freeze tomato paste in one tablespoon portions -- that's exactly
    the size of one cube in the ice cube trays I use.
    
    After they're frozen, I wrap the cubes in foil.
    
    					andrew

    I freeze two tablespoons directly on a folded sheet of foil.  It lifts
    right off when you go to use it.  
    
    I used to buy those expensive tubes so I'd have the small amount of
    paste some recipes called for.   Dummy me.
    
    Flo

    The last time I left tomato paste in the can, it reacted with the metal
    and darkened.  I don't think I would leave it wrapped in aluminum foil,
    since tomatoes and aluminum have been a nono even before alzheimer's.

I have eaten at a loal resteraunt "The olive garden" and had
a really good soup there but I am not sure how it is spelled.
Pasta vijouli (or something like that)
It is like a thin chli, exccept I think it has italian herbs like
oregano in it. 
It also contains tomato sauce and peices, burger, beans, vegies,
and pasta. 
Has anyone ever heard of a recipe for this?
Sort of like minestrone, except that the resteraunt serves both,
and this is not the minestrone.
The first real snowfall here in Colorado Springs, and something hot
and different is on the brain for tommorrow night.

Help!

LJ

    
    
    
    we call it "Pasta -fagoli"  which means pasta & beans
    and it varies, some Italians make it with pepperoni
    or ham (my favorite) garlic, tomato paste, chili-mac pasta,     
    oregano & parsley....taste great...a depression dish as my mother
    called it... a gourmet meal for me now!!!!!

I guess maybe I need help with the tomato base.
I cant do anything with tomatoes a far as sauces or anything,
cause mine always come out tasting like TOMATO!!! 
Any hints on toning down the tomato taste in sauces,
and/or soups?

Thanks,

LJ

Re: GENRAL::JORDAN 

	Here is my recipe for the soup.  They served this in the cafeteria
	one day and I loved it so I begged for the recipe.  Mine came out
	almost the same!  This makes alot of soup!  I'd cut the recipe in
	half unless you are serving a crowd because I didn't think it tasted
	after I froze it.  Please reply here to let me know if you try and 
	and how you liked it!

	Karen

Pasta Fagoli Soup

4 C cooked medium shells
2+ lbs hot italian sausage
2 C red or yellow onion
2 C diced carrots
1 C diced celery
4 cloves minced garlic
1 large can tomato paste
1 lb fresh green beans, cut into 1" pieces
10-12 C water
1 10oz pkg baby lima beans
2 19oz cans kidney beans with liquid
1/4 C chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp black pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Remove sausage from cases and cook, breaking up.  When done, drain all fat.
Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.  Saute until al dente.  

In stock pot, put sausage mixture, tomato paste, green beans and 10 C
water.  Bring to boil, the simmer till vegetables almost tender.  Add lima beans
and simmer till all vegetables tender.  Add kidney beans with liquid,
parsley, salt and pepper.  Add more water if desired and adjust seasonings
accordingly.  May want to add another small can of tomato paste and perhaps
some beef boullion cubes.

Serve with Parmesan cheese or mix in just before serving.

   Re .21

   Soups like Pasta e fagioli (the pasta and bean soup) are usually
   based on a light stock like chicken with some tomato but not enough
   to overpower it.  It's how I've made that soup.

   Am I the only one who dislikes the flavor of tomato paste :-),
   for example, as mentioned  .20 ?  I always omit it from any recipe that
   has it, in favor of simmering the sauce till it thickens if necessary.

   - Jim

>>   Am I the only one who dislikes the flavor of tomato paste :-),

	No.

	If anyone's interested in a non-traditional, meatless version,
	_Wine Spectator_ recently published an excellent pasta e fagioli
	recipe, one which is ceci bean based and includes porcini and
	fresh basil.  Just delicious.  I'll be glad to enter it if 
	anyone wants it.
   
	Diane

    I would love the meatless version - truly meatless, including no
    chicken stock!
    For those that would like a tomato flavor without overpowering the rest
    of the ingredients, try stewed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes.  Stewed are
    a bit sweet, so you may have to adjust the other seasonings, but they
    are much lighter in flavor.
    Sarah

	The meatless version, excerpted from _Wine Spectator_:

		An Untraditional Pasta e Fagioli	

	1 lb. dried garbanzo beans (ceci)
	1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
	1 onion, chopped
	2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
	1 rib celery, finely chopped
	2 T olive oil
	2 bay leaves
	1/2 lb. small dried pasta, such as short macaroni or soup pasta
	Salt and freshly-ground pepper
	1/4 c. fresh basil, julienned

	Soak the ceci beans in 5 or 6 cups of water for several hours or
	overnight.  Drain.  Meanwhile, soak the porcini in 1 cup boiling
	water for at least one hour.  Strain and rinse the mushrooms,
	reserving the soaking liquid.

	In a lg. saucepan, cook the onion, garlic, and celery slowly in
	the olive oil until they are tender, about 10 mins.  Add the beans,
	reserved porcini liquid, 4 cups water, and the bay leaves.  Let 
	the beans cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 and 1/2 hours, or until they
	are tender.  Add more water as needed to keep the beans covered
	with water by 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches.  When the beans are tender,
	remove the bay leaves.

	Pass the beans and liquid through a food mill or puree in a 
	food processor.  The result should be quite thick but should
	not mound on a spoon.  Return it to a clean saucepan, season with
	salt and pepper, and add the porcini, sliced.  Bring to a simmer,
	add the pasta, and let it cook for 5 mins.  Turn off the heat and
	let the soup stand for 10 mins. before serving.  This allows the
	pasta to finish cooking and the flavors to absorb.  If the bean
	puree becomes too thick, add water (or broth).

	Serve garnished with the fresh basil and pass an extra-virgin olive
	oil at the table, to drizzle over the soup.

	Serves 6.

    FRY PEPPERONCINI AND GARLIC AND ONIONS IN LOT OF OLIVE OIL, ADD PARSLEY
     AND 1 CAN OF CRUSHED TOMATOES.  SIMMER FOR A WHILE.  ADD 1 OR 2 CANS OF
    CANNELINI BEANS (WHITE BEANS) AND COOK.  THIS IS THE REAL WAY ITALIANS
    MAKE IT.
                                                                   
    DELICIOUS!
    ALSO, SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE
    
    
    

	.27  Sounds good, but shouldn't there be pasta in there somewhere?  ;>

Here's the one from my father's family which I make a couple of times a year,
(more specifically, yesterday) -


	Enough Olive oil to cover the bottom of a large stock pot to 1/8"
	1 1/2 C Chopped carrots
	1 1/2 C Chopped Celery, including leaves (where all the flavor is)
	1 1/2 C Chopped onion
	6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
	1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

     Saute above ingredients in the stock pot until the onions are beginning
     to turn transparent. Then add -

	8 cups strong beef stock (I make mine by the Jeff Smith method of
			simmering the roasted bones for about a day, and
			keep it in the freezer in 2 Cup packages till needed)
	1 1/2 cups dried beans (I usually use some kidneys, some peas, and some
			white beans -cannelini, great northern, etc.)
	1 14-16 oz. can of whole tomatoes, chopped
	1 Tbs. Italian Seasoning (Rosemary, oregano, basil, etc.)

     Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered,
     for about three hours, stirring about once every fifteen minutes. Add -

	1 cup soup pasta

     Stir and cook covered for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.


    Nothing fancy - just good, stick-to-your-ribs soup.