Monday, February 13, 2006

Nap Time COOKIN'! *RECIPE UPDATE!!*


That's right... it's NAP TIME here in the ole' Ruby & Bear household,
... so while Little Miss 'Sweet Cheeks' & her Bear catch some Zzzz's,
this Momma is gonna GET COOKIN!
I'm gonna throw together a special meal I plan on serving tomorrow night
when my Aunt Allegra and my Cousin Steve visit!
(Nanna "T" and Uncle Steve to miss Ruby...)
It's my Nonna's Pasta Fagioli Recipe and MAN IT'S GOOD!
My Mother makes it alot and it's just REALLY YUMMY!! AND SUPER EASY TO MAKE!!!!

(you know I'm gonna share the recipe with all of you, c'mon!)

THAT'S RIGHT, DIRECTIONS COMPLETE WITH PICTURES! BOOO-YA!




(Do ALL YOUR PREP WORK AHEAD OF TIME & have veggies chopped & READY TO GO)

So, above we have all the ingredients:

5-6 stalks of Celery diced
1 pkg baby carrots cut into little circles
1 small onion diced
1 can diced del monte tomatos
1 can Bush's Canellini Beans (white kidney beans)
2 Tablespoons minced Garlic
1 1/4 cups ditalini pasta (uncooked)
*4 cups chicken stock (more if needed, make by the bullion cube one cup at a time so as not to waste...)

*I actually ended up using 8 cups exactly for this batch because I don't like it too thick but any more than 8 would've been too runny*

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (not pictured)
Salt & Pepper to taste.


Cover the bottom of a large pot with Olive Oil & put on med high heat.
Once it's good & hot, add two heaping tablespoons of minced garlic & stir.
In a couple of minutes, add all the veggies...


The Celery...


The Onions...


The Carrots...


And Mix Well... cook until celery becomes transparent.


Then add chicken stock enough to cover the veggies & let simmer.


If you find that the simmering caused most of your stock to evaporate,
feel free to add more stock until it looks like the pic above.

In about five minutes or so you want to add your Can of Tomatos,
JUICE & ALL, DO NOT DRAIN!



And your can of Beans, SAME DEAL, DO NOT DRAIN, YOU WANT ALL THE JUICE PLUS THE BEANS ADDED TO THE POT! =)


Turn down the heat to low'ish (2 or 3 on my stove) and let simmer for a couple of hours until Veggies are FULLY COOKED!


Add the pasta to the pot uncooked & it cooks in the broth of the pot within 20 minutes.
You can serve it immediately after if you like but I find that it's WAY BETTER the NEXT DAY!
I will take mine off the stove & let it come to room temp & put the pot in the fridge.
Tomorrow night, when my company gets here, I'll just heat individual bowls one at a time in the micro, I won't reheat the WHOLE POT cuz then the pasta gets TOO MUSHY!

My mom thinks that it's best served right away but my Father & I both agree that it's FAR MORE TASTY the SECOND DAY! =)

You all can do whatever you please. =)
I serve mine with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top and fresh sliced Italian bread & butter.
*drool*
IT'S SO YUMMY I CAN'T WAIT FOR TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy everyone!
* HAPPY VALENTINES DAY A LITTLE EARLY!*

2 comments:

Lisa~~ said...

I love a good Pasta Fagioli, yum! Especially perfect on a cold winter night! I made cupcakes for Valentine's Day, too bad we can't share...it would be a great dinner.

Tammy said...

Pasta Fagioli is yummy - it's good with parm cheese on it too. I'm going to copy your recipe, it looks delicious (the pictures are great too).
Tammy