Noodle Soup!

Today you're going to learn how to make a delicious dish of noodle soup. The only thing I changed up in this recipe was the type of bean because I don't have a trader joes near me that might have it. But according to this substitute website pinto beans should've worked fine. This recipe takes a while to make but most of the time it's on the stove simmering; so make sure you have something to do for 2 hours. This is on page 90 of  Domenica Marchetti's book 'The glorious PASTA of Italy.'

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of canned pinto bean (or cranberry/borlotti beans if you can find them)
• 3 ounces of Bacon
• 1 celery rib finely chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 large cloves of garlic passed through a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cups of water
• Fine sea salt
• generous pinch of red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces of dried fettuccine

Time for the Fun!

Step 1: Wash your hands and prepare the food by mincing the bacon and onion, chopping up the celery, and pouring a half cup of olive oil. Also in a small bowl mix the minced garlic and rosemary to make a paste.

     

Step 2: Drain the canned pinto beans and pour them into either a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with lid. Then add bacon, onion, celery, and garlic and rosemary mixture. drizzle olive oil over it and stir. Pour in water and place over medium high heat bringing it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 2 hours.

   



Step 3: Once that's done let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then season the soup with salt and red pepper flakes and bring the soup to a boil on medium-high heat. once it's boiling stir in the pasta  and cook it at a gentle boil for 15-20 minutes. (avoid the noodles sticking together by stirring it enough) (also avoid the sauce looking gross by not keeping them in the sauce too long)

 

Step 4: serve and Enjoy!

This pasta was easy but it just took a while to prepare everything and then a lot of waiting around. But in this recipe the only thing I'd recommend not putting the noodles in with the soup because that's what made the soup all mushy and what made me cringe. Although I didn't "appreciate the warmth and comfort that a bowl of this substantial soup can deliver," (Marchetti 90) I bet if you do it right it's delicious. Good luck!

Question: What's your favorite kind of pasta and why?


Marchetti, Domenica. The Glorious Pasta of Italy. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2011. Print.

Delicious Penne

Today you are going to learn how to make Penne All'Incazzata which is Angry Pasta in Italian. Unless you are very weak when it comes to spicy stuff (like me) you'll just make regular penne pasta. This dish will be found page 37 of Domenica Marchetti's book 'The glorious PASTA of Italy.'

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 table spoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 oz/115 G of Pancetta, Diced
• Unless you're like me and can't find this in the meat section just get 4 oz. of Naturally Dry Aged Prociutto: Cubetti found in Fred Myers
• 2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
• This one is if you have a spicy personality or not
• 2 or more fresh chili peppers, minced
• or a generous pinch of pepper flakes
• or 1 green pepper
• 1 14.5 OZ/411 G can  of ready-cut tomatoes diced and peeled
• 1 LB/455 G Dried Penne
• 1 Tablespoon of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 OZ/ 115 G Pecorino Romano Cheese freshly grated

Time for the Fun

Step 1: Grab a pot and fill it up half way. Put it on the stove with medium heat and add about a teaspoon or two of salt. Put the lid on and continue to the next step. You want your water to look like this in about 5-10 minutes

Step 2: While the water is on the stove start cutting the green pepper (or mincing the chilly pepper) and mincing the garlic cloves. Also open the can of diced tomatoes, mince the parsley, and separate 3 lb of the cheese from the 4 lb. Keep them on the side and we'll come back to them



Step 3: On another stove top grab a large frying pan and warm the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and begins to sizzle poor in the diced meat and saute for about 5 minutes or until the meat, according to the book, "has rendered  some of its fat and is slightly crisp. With a spoon transfer the meat to a plate.

 

Step 4: Add the garlic and peppers of choice to the same frying pan and saute for about 5 minutes or until the garlic releases its fragrance. Take out as much garlic as you can and throw it away or do what you want with it.

 

Step 5: Then pour in the tomatoes, raising the heat to medium high, and stirring the tomatoes with the peppers. After a couple minutes bring it to a simmer and stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes or until it's thick

Step 6: While the sauce is simmerin' and cookin' check the pot and it should be boiling by now. If it is, pour in the penne with the lid off. After 5 minutes check if it's ready by grabbing a spoon and eating one of the penne's. If it's not cooked check it again after 2 minutes; if it is drain the water keeping about 1 cup of it. Set the stove to very low and wait for the sauce to be ready

Step 7: Once the sauce is ready, transfer the pasta to the frying pan gently tossing and combining thoroughly. Then stir in the meat that was set aside, the parsley, the 3 lb of cheese, and a little bit of the water to loosen the sauce. Mix it all together and you know that it's the best of all foods.

   

Step 8: Then serve with a little bit of cheese on top and enjoy!



The pun of the post: If I had a penne for every time I made penne I'd have 1 penne

This penne pasta was an easy and fun dish to make. If you're just making dinner for your family and want to impress them with your skills of Italy this is perfect because it is very doable for anyone who is just starting out in cooking. Don't be fooled by the many steps, it's just cutting, mixing, and boiling. so have fun with it. Add your own spices, make it as spicy or as salty as you want. As she says in the book, "use as much chili pepper as your lips can take," (Marchetti 37) This is just the  basis so don't let it stop you from letting your imagination run wild.

Question: How do you know what is enough spices in the food you're cooking?
Marchetti, Domenica. The Glorious Pasta of Italy. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2011. Print.