Pasta with dried cannellini beans

(Pasta e fagioli)

Serves 6

Nowadays, particularly outside of Italy, there is a lot of reference to ‘regional Italian cooking’ rather than ‘Italian cooking’. Anyone acquainted with the food of Italy will know that regional differences are usually distinct, and I am the first to agree with this. I also believe that there is something that intrinsically ties the 20 regions of Italy together to make Italian cooking distinct from other cuisines. It is cultural and hard to identify, but pasta and flavour are central to the discussion. Pasta e fagioli is a dish that you will find in nearly every part of Italy and it will be very similar in each place. To most Italians, it is as simple as food can be, and almost as endearing as a long lost friend. Enjoy this dish on a cold, wet winter’s day, drizzled with very good extra virgin olive oil and served with lots of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese. A glass of Sangiovese or similar medium-bodied red wine will make the experience sublime.

2½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 medium onion, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) dice

1 medium celery stalk, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) dice

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

250 g (9 oz) dried cannellini beans, soaked in water overnight

approximately 3 litres (105 fl oz/12 cups) water or vegetable broth

fine sea salt, to taste

2 medium potatoes, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) dice

1 rosemary sprig, broken into pieces

250 g (9 oz) good-quality dried conchigliette (small shell) pasta

freshly ground black pepper, to serve

dried chilli flakes, to serve

freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese, to serve

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery and garlic and slowly sauté until the vegetables become translucent. Drain the soaked cannellini beans and add to the pan with enough water or vegetable broth to cover the beans by about 4 cm (1½ inches). Bring to the boil, season with the sea salt and let simmer for 30 minutes. After about 30 minutes of cooking, add the potato and rosemary and slowly simmer until the beans are well cooked. If the water level is reducing too far, you can add a little more water or vegetable broth until the desired level is reached. Sometimes I substitute the water or vegetable broth for chicken broth as it gives the soup a little more flavour, but it is definitely not necessary.

Bring a medium-sized saucepan full of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta. As it is a soup, cook the pasta a little past the al dente point. Strain the pasta and add to the soup then serve with freshly ground black pepper, dried chilli flakes, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese.