Pasta e Fagiole
(Pasta with Cannellini Beans)
From
Cucina Napoletana
(Interlink Books, 2008)
Serves 4
10 oz dried cannellini beans
pinch of baking soda
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (see note)
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons passata
10 oz pasta mista
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.
Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water with a pinch of baking soda. Rinse well, and put the beans in a pan with 6 cups water. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 2 hours until the beans are tender but still have a bite.
2.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Make a tomato sauce by heating a little oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft and transparent, before adding the tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken up and reduced into a pulpy sauce.
3.
When the beans are nearly cooked, add the tomato sauce and passata. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Remove some of the beans, blend until smooth, and return to the pan.
4.
Cook the pasta in plenty of slightly salted boiling water for half its cooking time. Add to the beans to finish cooking in the soup for a few minutes until al dente. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Peeling tomatoes It is not such an onerous task, peeling fresh tomatoes. Simply score the skin slightly with a sharp knife, blanch in boiling water for 10 seconds or so until the skin starts to soften and split, then refresh in cold water. This makes it far easier to use a sharp knife to peel away the skin.
