Pasta Fagiole
More snow! Will I ever be able to get out of the house? I mean, it’s blown up to the middle of the door!
I remember days like this when I was in high school. They didn’t call school off in those days. We had to walk to the bus stop, knee deep in white fluff.
We were strong and courageous, full of the pioneer spirit that made America great! No coddling for us!
Okay I remember it happened once. So much snow, it seemed so bizarre that school might be open, which is why I remember it so vividly. And actually, the bus never came because the roads hadn’t been plowed yet, so I walked back home, as did all my friends on the block. We hadn’t listened to the radio before venturing out to prove our pioneering spirits.
Not many people are going out today because it’s ferocious here in Connecticut. It snowed all night. We got at least one foot of new snow and it’s still going on. I see my neighbor’s driveway has been plowed. They’re both doctors, so I guess it’s essential they get out.
My job? Not so essential! This is one of those times I can really enjoy not being too important.
It’s a perfect day for homemade soup. Here’s one of my favorite recipes, it’s from my book Hip Kosher. Serve it with a hunk of crusty bread and you don’t need anything else for dinner.
Pasta Fagiole
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
2 carrots, sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 stalks celery, sliced 1/2-inch thick
28-ounce can tomatoes, with liquid
1 quart vegetable stock
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup ditalini or other small tubular pasta
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, with liquid
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery and cook for 2 minutes or until softened slightly. Add the tomatoes, stock, basil, parsley and some salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Serve the soup sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Makes 6 servings