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Pasta with Fresh Beans
I decided not to call this 'pasta e fagioli' because I basically took the idea of 'pasta with beans' and did what I wanted with it.
It's also not properly a recipe because, frankly, the amounts and ingredients don't matter all that much. So I wrote it up in a 'if you have some of this, throw it in, and if you have some of that, throw it in, and then cook it until it smells good' way.
I made this "meat-light" (one slice of bacon for flavor), but it could be easily made meatless, and I included adjustments if you want to go that way. I'm pretty sure, if you do it vegetarian, it's also vegan.
Amounts are for two fairly generous servings.
If using bacon: Mince a slice or two of bacon. (This is easier to do if the bacon is chilled, and easier still if its partly frozen.) In a soup pot or deep saute pan, heat the bacon over medium-low heat until the fat has softened and begun to render out. (Basically, you're going to use the bacon fat to cook your aromatics in, so you want some of the fat to melt out.)
If not using bacon: In a soup pot or deep saute pan, drizzle in a little vegetable oil, and add salt and pepper.
Either way: Mince any combination of the following: half an onion, a stalk of celery, a good-sized carrot, a handful of fresh mushrooms. Add to the pot and raise heat to high. Cook, stirring constantly, it's started to wilt (this is most obvious with the onion, which will turn soft and golden, or the mushrooms, which will soften and start to brown) (and, if you're using it, the bacon will crisp), about 5 minutes.
Add a good glug of white wine to the pot and stir to deglaze. Let cook over medium-high heat until the wine has reduced so far that it's kind of syrupy on the bottom of the pot. You'll probably need to give it a few stirs at the end.
While the wine reduces, prepare some fresh beans. The fresh beans I know best are cannellini, cranberry, fava, and edamame. Cannelini, cranberry and edamame beans just need to be shucked out of their shells. Fava beans in the pod are rather more involved: probably best to google how to prep them if you don't know, but in brief, you'll need to shuck them out of their green pod, then blanch and shock them, then peel off the thin opaque skin around the bean.
When the wine is reduced, add a clove or two of minced garlic and stir until it smells good and garlicky, and then add three or four cups of water or broth and bring back to a boil. If you're using a long-cooking bean like cannellini or cranberry, add it now. Let cook about 10 min, then add about half a pound of pasta—small shapes are best, like macaroni or small shells or something like that, although noodles broken into 2-inch lengths will also work fine. The liquid should just about cover the pasta: if it doesn't, add a bit of water. Cook, stirring intermittently, about 5 minutes.
(Yes, this is completely different from most pasta recipes, in which you cook the pasta in a lot of boiling water and don't have to stir it much. Think of this as the risotto version of pasta.)
If you're using a shorter-cooking bean, like edamame, add it now, then keep cooking until the pasta is cooked just a bit more al dente than you'd like it. (It can be anything from thin as a soup to thick as a sauce to a stewlike in-between; don't worry too much about thickness.)
While the pasta is finishing, coarsely chop a good handful of tender greens—I used arugula, baby spinach or watercress or sorrel would also be lovely—along with a couple of fresh tomatoes. Add the greens and tomatoes, along with a half a cup or so of frozen peas, to the pan, then turn off the heat. Stir until everything is well-incorporated, taste, and adjust salt. Cover the pot and let sit about 5 minutes to warm through and let the flavors get accustomed to one another.
It's perfectly nice just like this, but if you want to get fancy you can add some grated cheese, or a drizzle of olive oil, or a spoonful of pesto. Or some fresh parsley. Or, y'know, whatever.
It's also not properly a recipe because, frankly, the amounts and ingredients don't matter all that much. So I wrote it up in a 'if you have some of this, throw it in, and if you have some of that, throw it in, and then cook it until it smells good' way.
I made this "meat-light" (one slice of bacon for flavor), but it could be easily made meatless, and I included adjustments if you want to go that way. I'm pretty sure, if you do it vegetarian, it's also vegan.
Amounts are for two fairly generous servings.
If using bacon: Mince a slice or two of bacon. (This is easier to do if the bacon is chilled, and easier still if its partly frozen.) In a soup pot or deep saute pan, heat the bacon over medium-low heat until the fat has softened and begun to render out. (Basically, you're going to use the bacon fat to cook your aromatics in, so you want some of the fat to melt out.)
If not using bacon: In a soup pot or deep saute pan, drizzle in a little vegetable oil, and add salt and pepper.
Either way: Mince any combination of the following: half an onion, a stalk of celery, a good-sized carrot, a handful of fresh mushrooms. Add to the pot and raise heat to high. Cook, stirring constantly, it's started to wilt (this is most obvious with the onion, which will turn soft and golden, or the mushrooms, which will soften and start to brown) (and, if you're using it, the bacon will crisp), about 5 minutes.
Add a good glug of white wine to the pot and stir to deglaze. Let cook over medium-high heat until the wine has reduced so far that it's kind of syrupy on the bottom of the pot. You'll probably need to give it a few stirs at the end.
While the wine reduces, prepare some fresh beans. The fresh beans I know best are cannellini, cranberry, fava, and edamame. Cannelini, cranberry and edamame beans just need to be shucked out of their shells. Fava beans in the pod are rather more involved: probably best to google how to prep them if you don't know, but in brief, you'll need to shuck them out of their green pod, then blanch and shock them, then peel off the thin opaque skin around the bean.
When the wine is reduced, add a clove or two of minced garlic and stir until it smells good and garlicky, and then add three or four cups of water or broth and bring back to a boil. If you're using a long-cooking bean like cannellini or cranberry, add it now. Let cook about 10 min, then add about half a pound of pasta—small shapes are best, like macaroni or small shells or something like that, although noodles broken into 2-inch lengths will also work fine. The liquid should just about cover the pasta: if it doesn't, add a bit of water. Cook, stirring intermittently, about 5 minutes.
(Yes, this is completely different from most pasta recipes, in which you cook the pasta in a lot of boiling water and don't have to stir it much. Think of this as the risotto version of pasta.)
If you're using a shorter-cooking bean, like edamame, add it now, then keep cooking until the pasta is cooked just a bit more al dente than you'd like it. (It can be anything from thin as a soup to thick as a sauce to a stewlike in-between; don't worry too much about thickness.)
While the pasta is finishing, coarsely chop a good handful of tender greens—I used arugula, baby spinach or watercress or sorrel would also be lovely—along with a couple of fresh tomatoes. Add the greens and tomatoes, along with a half a cup or so of frozen peas, to the pan, then turn off the heat. Stir until everything is well-incorporated, taste, and adjust salt. Cover the pot and let sit about 5 minutes to warm through and let the flavors get accustomed to one another.
It's perfectly nice just like this, but if you want to get fancy you can add some grated cheese, or a drizzle of olive oil, or a spoonful of pesto. Or some fresh parsley. Or, y'know, whatever.
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We had pizza. (I'm failing at even my simple chicken + bell pepper + rice meals. Go, meal prep laziness!)