Pasta e Fagioli

Now, this is good winter food. Warm and hearty, pasta e fagioli (pronounced 'pasta fashool'), or Italian pasta and bean soup/stew, is perfect for those cold nights that are on the way... I already made it twice in the last month. It is one of my favorite meals, and is pretty easy to make.

Which type of beans you use is up to you. Cranberry beans are ideal, but can be hard to find. I used pinto this time, but cannellini or kidney beans are good too. You can use either dried or canned beans. I like to use dried if I have them, as they tend to hold their shape better - canned beans can get a little mushy. If using dried beans, soak 1 cup in plenty of cold water overnight. The next day, boil them in salted water until tender (beginning to get soft, offering no resistance to your teeth when you bite into them), drain and set aside to cool until needed. If using canned beans, there is no prep to do the night before.

When you are ready to make the soup, start by cutting about 2 tbsp onion (about 1/4 of an average onion) into small dice. Splash a good glug of olive oil into a large heavy saucepan and saute the onion until it starts to color. Then add about 3 tbsp carrot (peeled and diced small) and 2 tbsp celery, diced small. Stir, and add a couple of slices of bacon or pancetta, cut into small dice (this is optional - I did it on one of the two occasions, but not on the time I took the picture above). Saute until the vegetables soften - about 10 minutes. Add 2/3 cup chopped canned tomatoes and juice, and simmer until cooked down. Add either your cooked dried beans or 3 cups of canned beans (you'll probably need more than one 14 oz can). Cook for a few minutes, then add 3 cups of broth (beef, chicken, vegetable or even plain old water). Bring it to a boil. Scoop out 1/2 cup of beans and either mash them or push them through a food mill back into the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning. Bring back to a boil and add 8 oz small tubular pasta (macaroni works, but I like ditalini even better). Keep boiling (stirring as you go) until the pasta is just done (a slight bite to it - don't allow it to get too soft), then switch off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp hard Italian cheese, grated (parmesan, romano or asiago - I like pecorino romano myself).

Allow the soup to cool a little before serving. This recipe will serve 2-4 people, depending on how hungry they are. Enjoy!

Note 1 - Recipe adapted from one in 'Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking' by Marcella Hazan.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 2/3 cup = 160 ml; 3 cups = 700 ml; 14 oz = 400 g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 8 oz = 225 g.

Baked Beans (Boston-style)

Baked beans were a staple for me, growing up in England. They were not quite like these ones, which are more popular here in the U.S. The beans that I used to eat were simpler, with sugar, salt and a tomato-based sauce. No bacon or molasses. These ones are, however, very good. The recipe is adapted from 'The River Cottage Meat Book' by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Start with 1 cup of dried navy beans. I would not recommend using canned beans - they would turn to mush. You could use a different kind of bean, I suppose, but the navy bean is more authentic. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water, in the fridge.

The next day, drain and rinse the beans. Place in an oven-proof pan or casserole (with lid) with enough water to cover by almost an inch. Bring to a boil, add a little salt, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender but not mushy (this will probably take at least an hour). Remove them from the heat. Stir in 5 oz bacon, diced, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1.5 tbsp molasses and 1 tsp mustard. Quarter 2 smallish onions, and press 4 cloves into them. Add to the beans, season with a little pepper (no salt yet, as the bacon is salty), and add some hot water if necessary to cover the beans.

Put the lid on the pan and return to a simmer, then transfer into a 275 F oven. Bake for 3 hours, then remove the lid and bake for another hour. Adjust seasoning (taste, and add salt now if necessary) and serve or cool and store in your fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!

Note 1 - Enjoy the English way, on toast, or the American way, as a side with barbecued food.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 5 oz = 140 g; 275 F = 135 C.

Black Bean Soup

Another bean soup! Yes, that's right, I love beans. And just in time for the warm weather (it wasn't that warm when I made it though)... Note that, if strained, this does not make a very large batch - about 2 servings.

Start by soaking 1 cup of black beans overnight. The next day, drain and combine with 2 cups beef broth (a different stock or broth would be OK, but I had beef broth in the fridge and it gave the soup a nice meaty flavor), a bay leaf and some thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft, adding water when the liquid gets too low. Remove the bay leaf, and any thyme floating on top of the liquid. Warning - the cooking process takes a while. It varies depending on the age of your beans but it probably took me over 3 hours. You could use canned beans (3 cups) instead, and add up to 2 cups beef broth in place of the soaking liquid.

Saute 4 oz diced bacon until just crispy. Remove from pan and set aside but do not discard fat. To the fat in the pan, add 1/2 onion, diced and 1 clove garlic, chopped and sweat gently until soft. Add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Increase the heat and add 1/2 cup sherry. Boil until almost dry, then add the bacon, the beans and their cooking liquid, plus 1 dried chipotle pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the pepper and carefully blend the soup using a stick blender or standard blender (in which case, do small batches and be very careful to avoid explosions of hot liquid - allow to cool a little and start at a low speed). Return to pan. Add 1/4 cup cream plus enough water to reach your desired consistency (this is personal - you decide how thick or thin you like it). Bring back to a simmer for a few minutes. Check seasoning and adjust as needed. At this point, you can serve it as is (it will probably be pretty thick, or you can strain it first, which will result in a smoother soup, but less of it. We prefer the strained version, but it's up to you!

Serve, garnished with sour cream and cilantro (coriander leaf). Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from one of the same name in James Peterson's 'Splendid Soups' - a great book if you like to make soup like me...

Note 1 - This soup has a little kick to it. Not a lot, but a little. If you prefer no spice, you can omit the red pepper flakes and chipotle pepper. If you like more, you could use a canned chipotle and blend it into the soup.

Note 2 - The thyme is not essential, but the bay leaf should not be omitted.

Note 3 - Metric Info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 2 cups = 500 ml; 4 oz = 110g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 1/4 cup = 60 ml.

White Bean, Kale and Chorizo Soup

Been on a soup kick lately, as a friend gave us some homemade soups and we liked having them in the fridge so much we wanted to have soup on hand after we finished them.

We have quite a lot of dried beans in our cupboards (my fault mainly - I love beans of all kinds). So, why not make a bean soup with cannelinis, that awesome Lacinato Kale at City Market and some of my favorite sausage?

Start by soaking your beans overnight. I used 1 cup dry cannellini beans. If you would prefer to use canned beans, you can - just increase the amount of beans to about 3 cups and omit the cooking step on day 2. To soak your dry beans, just place them in a container and cover with plenty of water and place in the fridge overnight.

The following day, drain the beans and place in a pan, covering them with plenty of fresh cold water. Add a bay leaf, some thyme, rosemary and a little salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the beans are soft. Drain them, removing the bay leaf and any floating herbs and set aside.

Sweat (cook over a low heat so as to soften with no color) 1/2 onion (diced), 1/2 carrot (diced) and 1 rib of celery (diced) in butter until soft. Add a piece of chorizo (you decide how much - I used about 3 inches but more is always better with chorizo), diced, and saute (cook over medium-high heat so it colors) until it releases its oils and turns everything orange. Add the reserved beans and 1 quart of chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Take 1/2 bunch kale, remove the ribs and chop coarsely. Add it to the soup and continue to simmer until cooked through (5-10 minutes). Check the seasoning of your soup, adjust with salt and pepper as necessary, serve, and enjoy! I like to sprinkle a little parm cheese on mine...

Note 1 - Chorizo is a traditional Spanish sausage made from pork, paprika, salt and sometimes garlic. If you cannot find it in the specialty deli section, substitute your favorite sausage. Don't expect it to turn everything orange. Just cook it through.

Note 2 - Kale is great. If you have never tried it, get some for this soup. If, however, you can't get it or don't like it, you could use spinach or Swiss chard.

Note 3 - Any kind of white beans could be substituted. Actually, any kind of beans at all. Just make sure they are cooked until soft.

Note 4 - Soaking your beans is not essential. If you have dried beans and have not soaked them by the time you want to start making your soup, just go ahead and cook them as for day 2. They will take longer to cook but it will still work.

Note 5 - Thyme and rosemary are not required in the bean cooking water. A bay leaf is however recommended.

Note 6 - Metric info: 1 cup = 240ml; 3 inches = 7.5 cm; 1 quart = about 1 litre.