Zuppa di Fagioli della Nonna
When my mom got sick, this was one of the first things she wanted to make. Probably because it's really healthy and knowing that she subconciously craved it, or because it's hot, thick and filling. But it's more than that; it's all tied up in one of her very first food memories. When we were talking through this recipe she told me that her grandmother, Nonna Iole, would often sit my young mom down at the kitchen table while she cooked, keeping one eye on her and one on the fire. She remembers Nonna fishing out a potato and a few beans from the soup pot and dropping them in front of my squirmy mom to keep her occupied. This type of connection illustrates what cooking means to me and what it meant to my great grandmother, not a chore but the ultimate gesture of care-taking. This soup has just a few ingredients, and it really takes forever to make. But all that trouble and hard work to transform whatever you have available, or, in my Nonna's case, could afford, into something comforting for the people you are responsible for, is what makes a bowl of soup, and the act of cooking it, meaningful.
On to this literal bowl of soup which is Italian cucina povera embodied. Imagine living a few centuries ago in Italy; you could make a huge bowl of hearty soup with a bag of beans and a few herbs. It's rib-sticking, healthy, and traditional to it's core. It's anchored in the family of Pasta e Fagioli, the recipe that has made it's way around the world. You can add meat if you want, sometimes my mom will add a ham hock to the beans as they cook, but it's not necessary. The borlotti beans taste a little like chestnuts, best without anything to stand in their way.
You need the good part of the afternoon to make this, plus the overnight soak, so plan ahead. The beans can take a little while to cook, which can't really be rushed because you risk damaging their structure or getting the wrong texture. I like to make this soup on a rainy Sunday afternoon and set it aside to reheat for dinner on Monday as a savory prize for pulling myself back into the work week.
SERVINGS
Serves 4-6, serve a splash of olive oil on top and crusty bread.
INGREDIENTS
- 500 grams borlotti beans, dried
- 2 large yellow potatoes, peeled
- 4 garlic cloves
- A bunch of parsley
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 servings of pasta (100 grams): Maltagliati (1/4th of recipe indicated) or Ditalini
- Salt & olive oil
METHOD
- Soak beans overnight in a bowl with enough water to cover beans plus 3-4 inches.
- Drain beans and add to a large stock pot with a couple pinches of salt, the potatoes and enough water to cover beans plus 3-4 inches, and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer the beans on medium/ medium low heat until they are tender and creamy, but still intact, skimming off the foam that collects at the top of the pot as you go . This can take a while, it should take somewhere between 1.5- 3 hours, depending on how long they soaked, if you have hard water and god knows what else. Bean cookery has and always will frustrate me, but the results are worth it.
- When they are cooked, drain the beans using a collandar into a big bowl, reserving all of the cooking liquid, the "bean broth". Move the beans to another large bowl and set the bean broth aside.
- Separate out a cup and a half of whole beans and set aside.
- Using a potato ricer, or fine sieve, press the beans and potatoes through, essentially mashing the insides and leaving the skins behind to be discarded. If you use a sieve, work in small batches and use your hands to press the beans through the sieve, adding a little water as you go to loosen up the mixture. Set the mashed beans aside.
- Chop the garlic and parsley together finely.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large french-oven style pot. Over low heat, add the parsley and garlic and cook just until the garlic is tender, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir, cooking for just another minute.
- Add the mashed beans (and potatoes) and the bean broth to the pot and season with salt. Add water if necessary, the consistency should start out loose and liquidy, because you're about to reduce it down.
- Turn the heat up slightly and bring to a simmer, allowing the soup to concentrate and reduce down slightly, about 10-15 minutes. It should be thicker than a broth but looser than a chowder at this stage. If you're using a dried pasta like ditalini, add the pasta after 2-3 minutes of simmering, they take about 10 minutes to cook.
- As it's just about done, add in whole beans and the pasta if you're using maltalgiati, they take about 3 minutes to cook. Simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Serve with olive oil and crusty bread to mop up the dregs.
