Tuesday, February 3, 2009

FOOD FOR THE SOUL & A SNOWY DAY




Nothing makes me what to cook more than snow .. so as big fat flakes drift by my window .. I am headed to the kitchen to make a old stand by and a fabulously easy soup .. my version of Pasta fagioli . My mother makes all her food from scratch but in this day and age I am happy to use shortcuts .. I think more of us would cook if we knew we wouldn't have to spend the day in the kitchen .. so this version of an old traditional soup combines several short cuts that allows you to have soup within an hour ! Now if you prefer to soak your beans instead of using canned beans ~by all means please do .. but for those of us who would like to prepare a hardy delicious soup in minutes here is the recipe :
PASTA FAGIOLI

1~ 40 oz can of white beans , drained and rinsed well
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter melted
2 cloves of garlic chopped fine
1 cup or 1 onion chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 cup carrot chopped
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
1/2 cup shredded basil
salt& pepper to taste
2 cups marinara sauce
2 ~40 oz cans chicken broth
1 lb ditalini pasta ( or any small pasta ) cooked and drained
1/2 cup grated parmesan chesse ( more for garnish )

~in a soup pot melt butter with olive oil and add garlic , onion, carrots , celery, parsley & basil
cook for about 15 mintues or until vegetables are soft, fragrant and transparent~add remaining ingredientsand simmer on low heat for about 1/2 hour or so .. serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese and some shredded leaves of basil... wonderful delicious & easy !



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