958. PASTA FAIGOLI

6 ounces smoked bacon (1/2 package), diced
1 cup onions, peeled and diced
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in sauce
2 (15 ounce) cans of cannellini beans, drained
1 quart beef broth
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 cup dried ditalini pasta
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons fresh savory, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
parmesan cheese

Cook the bacon in a large frying pan until lightly brown but not crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain the bacon drippings from the pan reserving 2 tablespoons. Add the reserved bacon drippings to a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook until the onions are translucent approximately 5 minutes. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, beans, beef broth, water and bay leaves to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Puree half of the beans in a blender or food processor and add back to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Add the pasta, garlic, savory, sage, salt, pepper and reserved bacon to the pot and cook until the pasta is done, approximately 10-15 minutes, while stirring frequently to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Pour into individual soup bowls and garnish each bowl with freshly grated parmesan cheese prior to serving if desired.


courtesy of: Italian Cuisine @ Suite 101