Pasta e Fagiole

6-8 servings. Distilled version of Carla Lalli Music’s recipe using pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

(soffritto)

1. 6 garlic cloves
2. 1 large yellow onion, halved
3. 4 carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
4. 1 fennel bulb, stemms trimmed, roughly chopped (I don’t like fennel)
5. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6. kosher salt
7. freshly ground pepper
8. 6 anchovies packed in oil, drained (I’m vegetarian; sub more parm/mushroom/stock)
9. 2 teaspoons dried oregano
10. 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
11. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
12. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
13. 2 teaspoons chili flakes (heat to taste)
14. 1/4 cup tomato paste, double concentrate

(soup)

1. 8 oz dried medium beans such as baby lima, gigante, corona, tarbais, cranberry, marcella¹
2. 3 fresh or dried bay leaves
3. 2 dried shiitakes (bump up if removing anchovies)
4. 1 bunch kale, stripped from stems, torn into 3-inch pieces
5. 1 or 2 Parmigiano rinds (optional; bump up if removing anchovies)
6. 8 oz small ridged pasta such as cavatelli or orecchiette (we prefer orecchiette)
7. Crusty bread, preferably fried, for serving
8. Parmigiano for topping
9. bouillon

Directions:

Pressure cook beans. Start soffritto immediately after starting beans.

(soffritto; ~40 mins)

1. Pulse garlic, onions in food processor until fine. Remove.
2. Finely chop carrots in food processor. Remove.
3. Cook vegetables in olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables start to release some liquid, about 3 minutes.
4. Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook soffritto, checking and stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until vegetables are very soft but have not taken on any color, about 25 minutes.
5. Continue to cook with the lid on, stirring a little more frequently, until soffritto has lost at least half its volume and is just starting to brown, about 15 minutes more.
6. Cook, uncovered until the vegetables are an orangey-brown color and starting to fry in the oil.
7. Add anchovies, oregano, fennel and cumin seeds, turmeric, and chili flakes. Cook 2 minutes.
8. Add tomato paste and stir to coat; cook until paste has darkened by a couple of shades, 3 minutes more.

At this point your beans should be done. Don’t let them sit in the pressure cooker after natural release time has finished. Strain (keeping bean water) and remove.

(soup; a while)

1. Add beans to soffritto in pot. Add bean water until soffritto and beans are covered by 2-3 inches liquid. This may be all of your bean water.
2. Cook for ~20 mins. A little longer if soffritto is frozen.
3. Add bouillon, Parmigiano, kale. Simmer 30 mins.
4. Optionally blend 3 cups and re-add to pot.
5. Cook pasta in a separate pot, as usual, but 2-3 mins shorter than recommended time.
6. Drain pasta and add to soup.
7. Serve with olive oil, Parmigiano, bread, extra chili flakes.