Pasta e Fagioli

Way back then Wart gave me a cookbook from Cook's Illustrated titled "The Best 30-Minute Recipe." I haven't done a lot with it other than make a great Italian soup called Pasta e Fagioli.

Although the book touts making the recipes in 30 minutes, it usually takes me an hour. (I'm not that good of a cook.)

As you see below, the recipe is pretty basic in the ingredients it calls for. The only thing I had to buy at the store was the bacon. (I've now divided up the package and froze the remaining bacon in 3 zip-locks for future needs.)

An inside joke: I was throwing everything together and read "add carrots." What carrots!? A quick review of the ingredients called for two carrots, luckily I had a couple left over from last week's broccoli soup recipe from Lion House. Silly me. Someday I'll read the entire recipe before I begin.

It was pretty cold tonight coming home from work after running a few errands and this soup, like all soups in winter, hit the spot in my little belly.

Not to be too healthy, afterwards I brought out the vanilla bean ice cream. But with a guilty conscience I added blueberries for the anti-oxidants.

Pasta e Fagioli

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. minced fresh oregano, or ½ tsp. dried

Salt and ground black pepper

4 slices, bacon, chopped fine

1 onion, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, chopped fine

½ cup small pasta (ditalini, orzo, or stellini, etc.

1 cup frozen cut green beans

Grated Parmesan cheese

Making the Minutes Count:

Mince the onion while the bacon cooks. Chop the carrot while the onion cooks

1. Heat broth mixture: Bring broth, beans, tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, and ½ tsp. salt to boil, covered, in large saucepan and set aside

2. Cook bacon and onion: Meanwhile, cook bacon in large saucepan over medium-high heat until fat is partially rendered, about 2 minutes. Stir in onion and ¼ tsp. salt and cook until softened and slightly browned, about 8 minutes.

3. Add garlic, broth mixture, carrots, and pasta: Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth mixture, carrots, and pasta. Bring to simmer and cook until carrots and pasta are tender, 9 to 11 minutes.

4. Add green beans and season: Stir in green beans and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Off heat, remove bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Served, passing grated Parmesan separately.

Soup, Again??

Last week Wart emailed belatedly asking for my Lion House recipe for Hearty Beef Stew; she and Ben wanted to have it Sunday for a friend coming from Utah. Unfortunately, I didn't get the email until early Sunday morning; too late to type the recipe and get it to them for that afternoon. (That'll teach her for emailing and not calling.)

Then, last week, much to my surprise, Macy's had chuck roast on sale. So what the heck, we'll have stew for the coming cold on Monday.
With daylight savings time ending "it is the longest day of the year," said Sparky. So I got up, cut up the roast into small bite sizes, and started the stew cooking. (It was also Fast Sunday, which added 45 minutes to the morning . . . no breakfast.)

Sunday morning was beautiful. The sky was blue; the fall leaves are red and yellow, timp was shining bright with its new layer of fresh snow, and Sparky said, "I'm going for a walk, wanna come?" Heck Yes! My momma didn't raise no dummy.

So, in between the walk, church and meetings I made stew. The recipe (per blogging protocol) is below, but I also added lentils and frozen peas. Plus I added extra potatoes and water. Surprising I was also able to retrieve the garlic on toothpicks, and with the spirit of "waste not, want not" I smashed them with a knife on the cutting board and threw them back into the pot.

I think every time I make this stew it seems like the type of soup pioneers would have made and kept warm on the back burner ready for Pa when he came in from the fields. :) As I did, you can just about throw in anything you have on hand.

One thing I don't know is what pot Wart was going to use to cook the stew, since she has my old set of aluminum cookware and I kept the 5 quart dutch oven. Oh well, that's her problem.

Hearty Beef Stew
2 pounds beef chuck, cut in cubes
2 Tbl shortening
4 cups water
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic (I used 2)
1 Tbl salt
1 Tbl lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (extra doesn't hurt)
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
Dash of allspice
6 carrots, cut in quarters
½ pound small white onions
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I did 5)
¼ cup flour

In heavy Dutch oven, slowly brown beef cubes in shortening. Turn often to brown meat on all sides. This should take about 15 minutes. Then add water, onion, garlic (on toothpick so you can retrieve it), salt, lemon juice, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, paprika, bay leaves and allspice. Cover with lid and simmer on low heat (do not boil) for 2 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

When meat is almost done, add carrots, onions, and potatoes, and simmer for 30 minutes more. Discard bay leaf and garlic. Pour ½ cup water in shaker and add ¼ cup flour; shake to blend. Either remove meat and vegetables from stock or move to one side in pan; stir in flour mixture. Cook and stir till gravy thickens and boils. Makes 8 servings.