Pasta e Fagioli

from The Kitchn:

One-Pot Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Bean and Pasta Stew)

Serves 8 to 10

For the beans:8 cups water
2 1/2 tablespoons salt, divided
1 pound dried cannellini beans

For the soup:
1/2 pound (5 to 6 pieces) thick-cut bacon , diced (or substitute 1 tablespoon olive oil for vegetarian version)
2 large yellow onions, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine or water
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound pasta
5 thyme sprigs
10 ounces baby spinach
2 teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste

Combine the water and 1 1/2 tablespoons salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the beans, cover the bowl, and let stand at least 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon. Once all the fat has rendered, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all put one tablespoon of bacon fat. Cook the onions slowly with 1/2 teaspoon of salt start to caramelize and turn golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the celery and cook just until the celery is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Remove half of the onion mixture and reserve with the bacon. Deglaze the pan with one cup of wine or water, scraping up any brown residue that has formed on the bottom of the pan.

Drain and rinse the beans and pour them into the pot with the remaining onions. Add the bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of salt, and enough water to cover the beans and onions by 1 inch. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then begin checking the beans for doneness. Check the beans every 15 minutes until they are completely soft and creamy. (This can take up to 2 1/2 hours depending on the age and exact variety of your beans.)

→ Make-Ahead Tip: At this point, the soup can be chilled and refrigerated for a day or two before serving. The soup (or a portion of it) can also be frozen for up to three months.

Set the pot of cooked beans over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add the bacon, reserved onions, thyme, pasta, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente. Add more water if necessary so the pasta is submerged.

Add the spinach to the pot and stir until it is wilted. Remove the bay leaf and the thyme stems. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.

This stew will keep for one week refrigerated.

Recipe Notes:

• Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli: To make this recipe vegetarian, replace the bacon with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. You can also add 4 ounces of diced baked tofu to the finished soup.

• Soaking the beans with salt: This is a new technique I've been doing since reading about it in Cook's Illustrated. Contrary to the belief that salt makes beans hard, the editors at Cook's Illustrated found that the double dose of salt helps make the beans creamier and prevents the skins from bursting during cooking. It really works!

Pasta Dough

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 T olive oil

In mixer, mix flour and salt. Add eggs one at a time. Dribble in olive oil. Knead for 10 minutes.
Let rest for 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

from Causal Kitchen blog: 


Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients:
4-5 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to taste)

2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, chopped coarsely
12-14 ounce can roasted red peppers, chopped
2 cups water

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large non-stick pan, then add onions, garlic and spices. Saute on medium heat for about five minutes. Add tomatoes, roasted red peppers and water. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

2) Puree roughly 3/4 of the sauce in a blender or a food processor. Add back to the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve over the pasta of your choice.

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts of sauce (about 80 ounces by volume).

Orzo with brown butter and Parmesan

from Fine Cooking magazine:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 water
2 T butter
1 cup orzo
1/3 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
2 T Parmesan

 Bring broth and water to a simmer in a saucepan.
In another saucepan, cook the butter over medium high heat, until golden brown and smelling nutty, about 2 minutes. Add the orzo and stir to coat. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the wine, stir until absorbed, and 1 minute.
Add the simmering broth, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low, about 12 minutes.
Stir the orzo, season with salt and pepper, mix in the parmesan. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve.

Greek Spinach-Salad Pasta

GREEK SPINACH-SALAD PASTA WITH FETA, OLIVES, ARTICHOKES, TOMATOES & PEPPERONCINI

From The Fresh & Green Table: Delicious Ideas for Bringing Vegetables Into Every Meal by Susie Middleton (Chronicle Books, 2012). Copyright © 2012 by Susie Middleton. Photographs copyright © 2012 by Annabelle Breakey. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Serves 5 or 6

I once watched 200 lb/90 kg of Greek pasta salad fly out the door of a take-out market one Fourth of July weekend. It was a popular dish we made, and it always sold well, but that blew me away! These days, I make a quick and colorful Greek pasta that isn't exactly a salad: I like to toss the warm pasta with the marinated vegetables and fresh spinach to make a more sophisticated room-temperature pasta dish. But it does have all the bright flavors of a great Greek salad, including lemon, olives, garlic, fresh oregano, red onions, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Everything goes in raw except the pasta, so the timing is easy: Prep ahead, then cook the pasta when you're ready to eat. For fun, add a few tangy pepperoncini. You don't have to include them but they add a nice spark. (Buy them whole, not sliced.)

This pasta is perfect for a summer supper and is plenty filling for vegetarians. But it would be lovely with grilled swordfish or shrimp skewers, too.

• 1/4 cup/60 ml mild extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon black olive tapenade
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 small red onion (about 4 ounces/115 g), cut lengthwise into very thin slices
• One 14-ounce/400-g can artichoke hearts, drained and each heart cut lengthwise into 4 or 6 pieces
• 8 ounces/225 g small grape tomatoes, halved (about 1-3/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup/85 g pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
• 4 ounces/115 g good-quality creamy feta cheese (I like French Valbreso), crumbled
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 8 ounces/225 g dried gemelli or other curly pasta
• 4 ounces/115 g baby spinach leaves (about 5 cups)
• 1/3 cup/35 g chopped toasted walnuts
• 12 to 16 small whole pepperoncini, drained (about 2 ounces/55 g)

1. In a large, wide mixing bowl, whisk or stir together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, tapenade, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper. Add the red onion, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, olives, feta, and 1 tablespoon of the oregano and toss well. Let the mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the gemelli and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes, or according to the package instructions. Drain well in a colander but do not rinse. Transfer the warm pasta to the mixing bowl with the dressing and vegetables and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the spinach leaves, the remaining 1 tablespoon of oregano, the toasted walnuts, and the pepperoncini and toss well. (The feta will loosen up and coat the pasta.) Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if desired. (You can also let the tossed pasta sit for a few minutes, stir again, and taste.)

3. Serve right away.