What I'm cooking and eating

22 July 2011

Pasta e fagioli

This is my take on what I understand to be one of those Italian peasant dishes that you basically make the way you like! It would be a lot quicker to use tinned beans, but might be a bit soggy.

1/2 cup each blackeyed peas and cannellini beans (or a 400g tin cannellini beans)
100 g small pasta (I used coquillettes)
1 400-g tin tomatoes
2 small or 1 large onions
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 punnet chestnut mushrooms
1 medium courgette
Large sloosh tomato paste
About 300 ml red wine (I had some that had been open too long)
About 300 ml vegetable stock (Knorr Stockpot)
Seasoning to taste (I used herbs, Season-all, chilli salt, black pepper and a little soya sauce)

If using dried beans, soak them overnight, then cook in fresh water for about 30-40 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion and start it in the microwave. Put a little olive oil and/or butter in a saucepan and add the crushed garlic and mushrooms; stir and allow to cook gently for several minutes. Now add the onions and tomato paste, then the vegetable stock (to mix in the Stockpot). Put all this into a slow cooker, together with the rest of the ingredients. Stir well, and leave to cook until supper time!

It was good, but the pasta slightly went to nothing. It might be better to be cooked on top of the stove, very gently, or in the oven. If you don't have as much wine to spare as I did, just use water, but it might want grated cheese on it. However, the combination of beans and pasta means that it is a complete protein as is.

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