Pasta and Beans soup

Zuppa di Pasta e Fagioli

Today, in Central Florida is a cloudy and windy day, maybe perfect for a pasta and beans soup. This soup is an inexpensive vegetarian meal without a lot of ingredients but so flavorful that even the meat-eaters will love it. It is an extremely healthy and nutritious dish thanks to the high quantity of beans.

During the cooking time, the pasta will absorb most of the bean liquid so that when it’s cooked, the soup will be almost creamy.

Preparation time: about 20 minutes

Cooking time: from 1 to 2½ hours (about 30 minutes if you use canned beans)

Serves 5–6

Ingredients:

½ lb. (220 g.) dry cannellini beans

1 cup water, plus enough to soak and cook the vegetables and beans

9 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped

3 tbsp. dried oregano

2–3 celery stalks, finely chopped

About 2 tsp. salt

Black pepper to taste

Hot pepper to taste (optional)

½ lb. (approximately 250 g.) tubetti pasta

2 tbsp. fresh minced parsley (optional)

Method:

1. The day before making the soup, soak the beans. After inspecting and rinsing them, transfer to a large bowl, cover with cold water (three times the amount of beans), and leave overnight. In the morning, rinse and drain.
2. Put the beans in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer until tender (about 1–2 hours, depending on the kind and the size of the beans). Throughout the cooking time, check the beans occasionally, ensuring that they remain covered with water, and add more water if necessary (make sure you don’t add too much water. At the end of the cooking time, the simmering liquid must be only enough to cover the beans).
3. Meanwhile, in a pan, combine 5 tbsp. of the extra virgin olive oil with the garlic, tomatoes, oregano, celery, 2 tsp. salt, black pepper, hot pepper, and 1 cup water. Cover and cook for 10–15 minutes.
4. When the beans are cooked, add 1 spoonfull to the mixture of garlic, tomatoes, oregano etc. and with a blender, reduce to a puree. Add the puree to the pot with the remaining beans, stir and bring back to a boil. Then, add the pasta and more water if necessary; the simmering liquid must be only enough to cover both pasta and beans, so make sure you don’t add too much water. Cook over medium low heat and stir constantly until the pasta is al dente.
5. Turn off the heat, add the remaining 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, and stir well.
6. Let the soup rest for 3–4 minutes. At this point, taste it and add more salt if needed. Serve in individual bowls and top each serving of pasta with a sprinkle of black pepper and parsley.

Notes:

• You can use other kinds of dry beans (navy beans, white kidney beans, pinto beans) in place of the cannellini beans. If you’re in a hurry, it’s possible to use 1 lb. (450 g.) canned beans, rinsed and drained; in that case, you don’t need to soak and boil them, so you can skip steps 1 and 2. Also, at step 3, reduce the quantity of salt to 1½ tsp.
• You can use other kinds of Italian small pasta in place of the tubetti, such as conchiglie, ditaloni, linguine, spaghetti (broken), or small ziti.
• Instead of the method given here for soaking the beans, you can use the quick-soak method: After washing and rinsing the beans, transfer to a large pot, cover with hot water, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain with a colander, rinse, and return the beans to the pot. Add clean hot water, cover, and cook until tender.

Gnocchetti sardi with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Asparagus

Gnocchetti sardi con Pomodori Secchi e Asparagi

 

This is a daily dish, and is delicious.

 

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: about 25 minutes

 

Class: economy, healthy

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:

8 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

7-8 black olives, pitted and chopped

3 tbsp. capers, well rinsed

10 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

4-5 asparagus, chopped

Salt, about a pinch + 1 tbsp.

8 cups (2 L) water

½ lb. (approximately 250 g) gnocchetti sardi pasta

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add garlic, olives and capers, and sauté. Then, add the tomatoes, asparagus and a pinch of salt. Cover and let cook about 10 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.

2. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp. salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the olives, capers, tomatoes and asparagus. Gently mix all the ingredients and let cook together for 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti with Olives, Capers, and Tuna with Fresh Lemon Juice

Spaghetti con Olive, Capperi, e Tonno al Limone

This is for my friend Ester who was looking for some recipes with capers. It is a daily, quick and easy meal, to make when you are rushed and want a good, tasty dish. I learned this recipe from my brother in law. He is passionate about food and loves to cook.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: about 20 minutes

Class: cheap-healthy

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil, about 9 tablespoons
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
6–7 black olives
3 tablespoons capers, well rinsed
1 can best-quality tuna in olive oil, about 4 ounces (110 grams), drained
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt, about 1 tablespoon
Pepper to taste
8 cups (2 liters) water
½ pound (approximately 250 grams) spaghetti pasta

Method:

1.        Heat about 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan. Add the garlic and sauté gently. Add the olives and capers and let cook about 5 minutes on low heat. Add the tuna, mash with a fork, and then add the lemon juice. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and let cook for 5–6 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2.        Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the spaghetti and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pot with the olives, capers, and tuna. Add another 5 tablespoons oil and mix gently. Serve immediately.

 

Orecchiette with Celery Pesto sauce

Orecchiette al Pesto di Sedano

This dish is a welcome diversion from the most popular pasta with basil pesto sauce; it is tasty and healthy, and because celery is available all the year, it is perfect in winter or every time of the year.

I don’t add salt to the celery puree because the celery is naturally salty.

  

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: just the time to boil pasta
Class: cheap, healthy

Serves 2–3                                                          

Ingredients:
5 oz. (140 g) fresh celery
Extra virgin olive oil, about 7 tbsp.
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp. sunflower seeds
2 oz. (60 g.) Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese, chopped
8 cups (2 L) water
1 tbsp. salt
½ lb. (approximately 250 g) orecchiette pasta

Method:

1.     Prepare the celery pesto: Blend together the celery, oil, garlic, sunflower seeds and cheese, reducing to a thick puree. Set aside.
2. At this point, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp. of salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the celery puree to the pasta and mix well. Serve immediately.     

Genovese Pasta with Onions and fresh Tuna

Pasta alla Genovese con Cipolle e Tonno

This dish is a welcome diversion from the most popular genovese pasta with meat. It is for the tuna fish lovers. It is a rich and tasteful dish, perfect in winter time.

 

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 2 hours
Class: expensive, healthy

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:
20 oz. (560 g) onions, peeled and chopped
Water, 10 cups (2½ L)
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
11 oz. (300 g) fresh Tuna fillets, diced
½ can Italian peeled tomatoes, approximately 7 oz. (200 g), mashed with a fork
Salt, about 2 tsp. + 1 tbsp.
½ lb. (approximately 250 g) penne rigate pasta

Method:
1.     Put the onions in a large bowl. Add 2 cups (500 ml) water to the onions and, with an immersion blender, coarsely blend them. Set aside.
2.     Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the tuna and let brown a little, then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the tomatoes and the onions mixture to the pan. Season with 2 tsp. of salt.
3.     Cover the pan, bring the sauce to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the cover, add the tuna to the sauce and cook on medium-low heat for another 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens and becomes creamy. Stir occasionally. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
4.     When the sauce is done, bring 8 cups (2 L) water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp. of salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and let cook all together for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve immediately.

 

Pasta with Carrots and Cheese cream

                           Pasta con crema di Carote e Formaggio
Hello! After a short break here I am!
Did you know there are dozens of different pasta shapes in Italy? Well, for this recipe I use Casarecce because this kind of pasta shape retains the sauce and the dish that comes out is amazing good! Although for us it represents a first course, you can serve it as a main dish because it is complete, it has a bit of everything— carbohydrates, protein, vegetables. Buon appetito!

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: about 15 minutes
Class: economy, healthy

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
5-6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
A bunch of sage leaves
3 oz. (80 g) cream cheese
½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
Salt, about  ½ tsp. + 1 tbsp.
8 cups (2 L) water
½ lb. (approximately 250 g) Casarecce pasta
 
Method:
1.     Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the shallot and sauté. Add the carrots and sage, cover and let cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
2.     Then remove from the pan about 3 tbsp. of carrots to use as garnish and set aside. Add the cream cheese, heavy cream and ½ tsp. of salt to the pan; mix well and let cook another 2-3 minutes or until the cream cheese melts. At this point, with an immersion blender, blend all the ingredients, reducing them to a thick puree. Then, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
3.     Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp. of salt. Add the pasta and boil, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the carrots and cheese cream. Let cook together another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, add the reserved carrots and mix well. Serve immediately.

 

 

Pasta with Green Beans

Pasta con i Fagiolini

This dish is fresh and healthy. It tastes as simple as it is. It is one of my mother’s recipes and it is in my cookbook Perfectly Pasta.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: about 25 minutes

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:

½ pound (approximately 250 grams) fresh green beans
Water, about 12 cups (3 liters)
Salt, about 1½ tablespoons
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or minced
½ pound (approximately 250 grams) orecchiette pasta
2 ounces (50 grams) Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese (optional)

Method:

1.        Wash the green beans and remove the ends.
2.        Bring about 4 cups (1 liter) water with ½ tablespoon salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the green beans and let cook for 5 minutes. Drain the beans and cut into smaller pieces.
3.        Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the garlic and sauté. Add the green beans and let cook together for 7–8 minutes.
4.        Meanwhile, bring 8 cups (2 liters) water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pot with the green beans. Let cook all together 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. At this point, taste the pasta and add more salt if needed.
5.        Grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each serving of pasta and serve immediately.

Notes:

·         You can use penne or other kinds of Italian pasta in place of the orecchiette.