di reston
Sous Chef
This is a dish beloved of most Italians. I remember when I was a student at Rome Università degli Studi, we would often go out, maybe after the cinema, or a party, for a dish of this. It's a very good winter dish.
500gr soaked borlotti beans, or 2 cans ready to eat borlotti. Borlotti, in Italy, are those speckled beans, and are readily available in supermarkets here. Lots of people grow their own as well.
100gr bacon lardons
150gr sofritto (finely chopped equal quantities of onion, carrot and celery)
fresh chopped garlic to taste
3 - 4 sage leaves
250 gr freshly made tomato pulp, or the following basic tomato sauce:
(this is great when youre in a hurry)
2 tins plum tomatoes, 4 - 5 cloves garlic chopped, olive oil, oregano, salt and 1 tsp sugar. Bring to a boil and, strring all the time, until the sauce is reduced by one fifth.
Chicken stock 1 litre, and 1/2 litre if necessary
150g small pasta - the Romans traditionally use broken up spaghetti, ut something like ditalini would be fine.
Sweat the bacon lardons, soffritto sage and garlic in the olive oil, then add the cooked borlotti beans followed by the tomato sauce and stock. Cook down a little, squashing some of the beans, and then add the pasta.
When the pasta is cooked, the dish is ready. If you want a thinner soup, add more water to taste, bearing in mind that this should be quite a thick soup anyway.
When you're ready to dish up, sprinkle parmesan over the soup and serve.
Buon appetito
Dianne
Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
500gr soaked borlotti beans, or 2 cans ready to eat borlotti. Borlotti, in Italy, are those speckled beans, and are readily available in supermarkets here. Lots of people grow their own as well.
100gr bacon lardons
150gr sofritto (finely chopped equal quantities of onion, carrot and celery)
fresh chopped garlic to taste
3 - 4 sage leaves
250 gr freshly made tomato pulp, or the following basic tomato sauce:
(this is great when youre in a hurry)
2 tins plum tomatoes, 4 - 5 cloves garlic chopped, olive oil, oregano, salt and 1 tsp sugar. Bring to a boil and, strring all the time, until the sauce is reduced by one fifth.
Chicken stock 1 litre, and 1/2 litre if necessary
150g small pasta - the Romans traditionally use broken up spaghetti, ut something like ditalini would be fine.
Sweat the bacon lardons, soffritto sage and garlic in the olive oil, then add the cooked borlotti beans followed by the tomato sauce and stock. Cook down a little, squashing some of the beans, and then add the pasta.
When the pasta is cooked, the dish is ready. If you want a thinner soup, add more water to taste, bearing in mind that this should be quite a thick soup anyway.
When you're ready to dish up, sprinkle parmesan over the soup and serve.
Buon appetito
Dianne
Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
