Pasta e Fagioli Soup: 3 Different Ways to Heaven

Like many other American girls who enjoy art, I spent a semester in Italy when I was in college. But I was not stuck in a cold foreign dorm room, or living with a family who had agreed to host an exchange student only because they had it confused with an au pair in their heads. No, no. Years ago, a Rockefeller gave Georgetown University a villa. Villa Le Blaze sits high in the hills above Florence in a town called Fiesole. And every semester  some lucky Georgetown undergrads get to live there for a few months. This modest villa has, amongst other essential amenities, an unsurpassed view of the city, about 10 bedrooms, a library, an olive grove, and its own staff. When I was there, the staff included a tiny Italian cook named Clara. I'm not sure where they found Clara, but it is indisputable that she was a genius. Clara put an average of 15 lbs on each of us that semester.  Amongst many other pleasures,  Clara introduced me to Pasta e Fagioli.


Clara was kind enough to give us her recipe, and since then I have experimented with various forms of this classic Italian pasta and bean soup. Over the years I found I liked the soup even better if I left the beans whole, instead of pureeing them, and it morphed into something totally different. My version of the soup is  perfect for moms because you can make a big batch and freeze it into portions. It's hearty enough to be the main course at dinner if you serve it with some salad and bread.  My girls really like it at lunch on cold winter days. I love to make it with rosemary  and chick peas, but I found that the flavors were a big strong for children and they seemed to prefer a more delicate version with thyme and cannelli beans instead. You can experiment with this as well. I'll detail three approaches to the soup and you can try them all or just whichever one sounds best to you. This soup freezes well, doesn't have too much hands on time, and the fresh ingredients are so simple you most likely have them on hand.


PS: If you are interested in Villa Le Balze, take a peek at the website.
http://www11.georgetown.edu/oip/os/villalebalze/ . In addition to photos and information about the program, it tells you where you can get the Villa Le Balze cookbook!

Version 1: Rosemary and chick peas

You will need:

1 large sprig fresh rosemary. Don't use dried. It's just too bitter for this recipe. If you can't be bothered with fresh herbs (we've all been there), try the thyme and cannellini bean version instead.

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

5 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium)

1 cup of canned chickpeas, rinsed

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 cups of little pasta, preferably ditalini (but elbow macaroni is fine)

parmesan

Heat up the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Throw in the rosemary and stir it around for a few minutes. Enjoy the incredible aroma. Add the onion and the garlic, and stir that around for a few minutes as well. Add the carrot and celery and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Now add the chicken broth, bay leaf, tomatoes, and chick peas. Simmer for 30 minutes. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the pasta, until it is cooked according to the package instructions. Fish out the bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Spoon into bowls and top with grated Parmesan, if your heart desires (mine does). 

Version 2:

Replace the rosemary with fresh or dried thyme. You don't need to saute the herb- just toss it in with the  bay leaf. Replace the chickpeas with canned cannellini beans. 

Version 3:

In this version, use two cups of chick peas. After you simmer them, remove about half from the soup. It's okay if some veggies and broth is mized in there You need to let it cool first. Then put in a food processor and process into a puree. Return the puree to the soup after you have cooked the pasta, and stir until it is well incorporated. 

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