Venetian-Style Bean and Pasta Soup

This is my favorite winter soup recipe. It was published in Gourmet magazine a couple of years ago and I have changed it only slightly. It has a flavor so haunting and sublime that it elevates bean soup to a whole new level. There is nothing humble about this dish. If you have trouble finding Borlotti beans, try ordering them from Goldmine Natural Foods http://www.goldminenaturalfood.com/.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 pound dried borlotti (cranberry) beans (2-2/3 cups), picked over and rinsed
10 cups water for cooking
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for drizzling
2 medium onions, chopped
1-3/4 teaspoons coarse sea salt
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled, or 1 tablespooon chopped, fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
fine sea salt
1 roughly 3″ x 2″ piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind, optional
3/4 pound dried ditalini or other small tubular pasta

Recipe

1. At least 6 hours before cooking, soak the beans in cool water at room temperature. When you are ready to make the soup, drain the beans and discard the soaking water.

2. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a wide, heavy soup pot over a medium heat. Saute the onions with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, dried or fresh rosemary and pepper. Then saute, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the beans with 10 cups of water and Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (if using) and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours (depending on age of beans). Add more water if necessary to keep the beans covered and stir more frequently toward the end of cooking. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup olive oil and the remaining 1-1/4 teaspoons sea salt. Cool, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

4. Discard the cheese rind and coarsely puree the soup using an immersion blender or traditional blender.

5. Reheat the soup over a  low heat, stirring frequently and thinning soup as desired with additional water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. While the soup is reheating, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al-dente, then drain in a colander and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and pepper to taste.

7. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with spoonfuls of pasta and drizzles of olive oil.