Soup for days...and days

Clearly, I love soup. It's the best part of winter! Yesterday was Pasta Fagioli, a favorite in this house. Although I am not Italian by blood, I was raised Italian which is why I tend to make a lot of Italian dishes. There are many versions of pasta Fagioli and this is mine.

1lb dried white beans 

Olive oil

2 diced onion, carrot and celery

4 cloves minced garlic

1 box beef stock

1 box chicken stock

1/2 cup red wine

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 tbs tomato paste

Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

1/2 box of ditalini pasta

Fresh parsley and basil

Grated cheese

The night before, soak beans in cold water. In the morning change the water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Set aside until you are ready to make soup. 

In a soup pot, Sauté veggies and garlic in olive oil until just tender. Season with salt and peppers. Add wine, scraping any bits from the pot. Add tomatoes (I used leftover marinara I had in the fridge) paste and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer 20-30 minutes 

Add beans to the pot and simmer another 10 minutes. At this point you need to mash half of the beans. I usually use my handheld blender but I was in a hurry and just used a masher, not as effective but it's ok. 

In another pot, cook the ditalini to the stage right before "al dente". That pasta is going to soak up a lot of the stock and you don't want it too mushy. Drain and add it to the soup pot. Turn the heat down low and stir frequently for a few minutes. Add chopped herbs and garnish bowls with grated cheese, a drizzle of good olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes. 

Today in the shop:

I've added 2 new items, it's getting there. Slowly.