Pasta Fagioli

    And here is # 5 on Autumn's favorite Mama foods list...the Pasta Fagioli!!! Pasta and beans (does that count as a vegetable??).  Kimmy made a great pot of pasta fagioli (in a nice pot, well, maybe not quite as nice as the one I own now - see last night's blog).  She would always serve it with a good bread and a nice salad.  See last night's blog for thoughts on good bread.  But, any bread will do - even sour dough!  And, like the ebb and flow of the tide...I'm on a cooking roll! High tide, baby!!
   Here's how she did it:
       Get out your nice pot and put in 12 cups of chicken broth.  Put on the heat and get it boiling.  Add in 3 cups of cannellini beans.  3 cloves of minced garlic.  1 small onion, diced.  1 cup of shredded carrot. 1 cup of finely chopped celerly.  1 can (14 oz) Italian tomatoes.  Bring to a  boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
      Take about half of this soup and blend in a blender - or use a food processor, to grind up and place it back into your nice pot.
       Add a quarter lb of pancetta - Kimmy used to ask for this sliced thick at the deli and then cut it up into cubes.  Add in 8 oz of ditalini, pastina or orza, bring back to a boil and cook for 8 minutes or so, leaving pasta al dente.
       Serve with grated parm!
       If you have leftovers, the pasta will absorb the broth - just add more tomorrow, reheat and it is EVEN better the second day as all of those wonderfull ingredients absorb!!  Could you add oregano?  YES!  I always add oregano - to taste.  And pepper.

    Ahhh...there is is bene'!!!!  Kimmy did it best, but the bambini gave this the thumbs up, thank God!  Please avoid the Olive Garden's pasta fagioli, especially out here - they have bastardized it and it may as well be chile.  Dammit.  The Olive Garden is to Italian food what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.

      It was another busy day here...Hadley had a 'Recycle Party' with Mitch and invited Aut, Tonio, Lexy and Breanna...Mario and I avoided the festivites...but, the kids reported they had a fantastic time, made a lot of cool crafts, t-shirts, ate turkey and veggie dogs (how nice), cupcakes, etc.  Betsey did a fantastic job entertaining these guys this afternoon and I've requested postable photos...met with Kimmy's Foundation today - thank you for all of your help!!  Her foundation is growing and will begin to help families here in Tucson!!
      Cody and I ended our night watching 'The Tourist'...very entertaining!

       Make the pasta fagioli...enjoy...and let me know your thoughts!

              Grazia and bouna sera....
                                         Dave
"I'm not all me, so please excuse me while I tend to how I feel..."
                                                                 -Metallica "Hero of the Day"