PASTA FAZOOL, Brooklyn Soul Food

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No matter where we live or what we seek in our hunger and loneliness, food is necessary for life.  It's the great common denominator. We all have to eat.  This unassuming soup (Past Fagioli) - in Brooklyn slang it's pasta fazool - is made of pasta and beans in tomato broth is true Brooklyn soul food.  You can feed an army with it on a few bucks.  It's comforting and tummy warming and can be thrown together quickly when you are pressed for time.

Back in our Brooklyn days - when we were slender and young and unconcerned with cholesterol and saturated fats - we saved bacon fat to sauté the garlic, a custom left-over from the Depression, I suspect.  You can still do that if you are not fighting the battle of the bulge. It does add a nice, smokey flavor and, if you've saved it from your breakfast bacon, it's certainly a cheap fat. Nonetheless, we use olive oil these days and tend to avoid bacon.
If you have time, the most economical way to make this dish is prepare your beans from dried beans.  Follow the package directions. In the interest of speed, I use canned beans here. Back home, I would only have used Progresso beans if I didn't do the beans from scratch. These days in California, I'm more likely to use canned beans from Eden Organic Foods. Times, people, and priorities change, but both brands taste good.

Photograph courtesy of Eden Foods.
Warning: Do not use quinoa or corn pasta in this dish.  Brown rice pasta works best.


PASTA FAGIOLI (Pasta with Beans)
The recipe
Serves six

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil, does not have to be first press
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 quart of water
• 2 cups of brown rice pasta, cooked and rinsed
• 1 can of cannellini beans or red kidney beans, drain the beans and rinse
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 small white onion, slivered
• 1/2 cup of store-bought or homemade pesto (optional)
• sea salt to taste
• freshly grated Romano cheese

In a soup pot, gently sauté the garlic in the olive oil being careful not to burn it. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.  When it begins to color, add the tomato paste and fry the paste and garlic together for a minute or two on a low-to-medium heat continuously stirring the mixture.  Add the water slowly, mixing well to dilute the paste.  Add the parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt,  but reserve the pesto and the slivered onions. When the soup begins to simmer, add the beans and pasta and heat through. Taste to adjust seasoning.  Ladle into soup bowls and pass the onions, cheese and pesto around the table so that each person can season their bowl to taste. If you are not using pesto, you can top each bowl with a spoonful or two of raw high-quality extra-virgin olive oil before serving.
Variations: If you have left-over carrots, or meat, or sausages, they are easily and happily added.

Photograph courtesy of Progresso Foods.
Progresso soups are not wheat-and-gluten free. 

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