Pasta e Fagioli Estiva
la storia del fagiolo estivo…
I wake to the sound of rain hitting my window. Oggi piove. A welcome break to the sweltering heat, however, the humidity is another story.
I head to the local frutta e verdura close to my apartment, it’s 10am and the place is buzzing with nonnas. I have to squeeze my way in to compete for the best produce of the day. Today the fight is over the cherries from Vignola.
The stalls are full of summer produce that mere hours ago were still growing in the nearby fields. Pomodoro, melanzane, zucchine, fagioli, ciliegie, pesche, albicocche, basilico. Endless color, textures, and smells.
My eyes spot the borlotti fagioli, cranberry beans, their shells splashed with streaks of bright magenta. I ask the negoziante signora, “como ti piace a cucinare fagioli di estiva?”
She dives into the basket of beans, shelling them quickly, explaining her preparation in far too fast of Italian. She’s excited, I can tell by her facial expressions and the way her hands expertly work the beans that this is something she loves to prepare.
I can only make out about half of what she is saying, but the expressive hand gestures of Italians, coupled with my kitchen expertise become a shared language between us.
She explains how to prepare pasta fagioli. You need to let the pasta cook in the simmering bean liquid, molto importante. This will allow all the flavors and aromas to be absorbed within the pasta. Delizioso.
She begins loading my tote with beans, tomatoes, garlic, spring onions, and basil as she continues her story of summer afternoons and shelling beans.
“Molto semplice! Un ottimo pranzo per la famiglia.” as she continues to overfill my bag.
I laugh and say, “troppo, solo io”.
She stops, eyes me sharply, lets out an unapproving sound, “Cucini pasta e fagioli, hai bisogno di un marito!”.
We both laugh as thunder roars outside. Pasta e fagoli, the perfect meal for a single gal with no husband on a rainy afternoon in Italy.
TO PREPARE:
Serves 2-4
1 cup fresh shelled Borlotti fagioli, Cranberry beans
2 small carrots, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
8 cherry tomatoes cut in half
2-3 cups water
1 small bunch of basil
salt to taste
1/2 cup dried pasta, I used Cavatelli
Prepare your vegetables, dice the carrots and onions, shell the beans, cut the tomatoes, smash the garlic. Add extra virgin olive oil to a medium pot, coating the bottom. Add the onions and carrots to the cold pan, then give the pan some heat. Season with salt cooking 2-3min until beginning to soften. Add tomatoes, smashed garlic, and shelled beans. Make sure to salt as you go.
Add roughly 2 cups of water, enough to cover the vegetables. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over medium heat, a gentle boil, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After this time, remove the lid add a few sprigs of basil, and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the beans are soft.
At this point taste the beans and liquid, adding a little more salt if needed. Add the dried pasta to the bean liquid and stir well, you may need to add a touch more water at this point, and cook for another 8-12min until the pasta is al dente.
Serve the pasta e fagioli with grated parm, a drizzle of extra virgin oil, and some fresh basil.
A chunk of toasted rustic bread rubbed with fresh garlic, a slice of aged Pecorino Toscano, and a glass of crisp white wine, like Vermentino or Trebbiano Toscano, are a nice accompaniment.
