Pasta With Bean Sauce

Pasta With Bean Sauce

I saw this recipe on another blog, "Cream Puffs In Venice". The blogger lives in the Toronto area and must be of Italian descent. Her recipes are photographed so beautiful which makes them very enticing. I enjoy beans and try to incorporate grains and legumes often in our diet which gives much appeal to this recipe. The recipe was taken from Judith Barrett's cookbook "Fagioli". The mashed beans make the sauce creamy which coats the pasta very nice.

***

1/2 cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup olive oil

4 slices pancetta (Italian bacon)

1/2 red onion, chopped fine

1 celery stalk, chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper, to taste

Penne pasta

Parmesan cheese

Chopped parsley

***

Soak beans overnight, or for 8 hours, in a large pot covered with 6 cups of water.

Bring water and beans to a boil, adding 2 bay leaves and 2 cloves of garlic split. Simmer beans one and one-half hours, stirring frequently. Turn off heat and leave the lid on pot.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook pasta.

I altered the recipe at this point. To eliminate cholesterol from the bacon fat, fry the bacon in another pan. Remove the crisp bacon, blot the bacon with a paper towel to minimize any residual fat.

In a large pan, add olive oil, chopped onion, and celery. Saute until tender stirring often. Add cooked bacon.

Drain beans, remove bay leaves and mash to flavor the mixture. Add to the pancetta / bacon mixture. Add the pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.

Add cooked pasta to pancetta and bacon mixture. Add parsley and Parmesan cheese. It is D-lish! Serves 4