Pasta and fagioli has many variations

By JOE GRAY

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Traveling can expose us to foods in a way difficult to duplicate when enjoying the same dishes at home. When traveling with family last year in Italy, my teen-age nephew and niece struggled sometimes to find something on the menu that they would like.

At a rustic trattoria in Florence, my nephew Ryan, 17 at the time, gave up and asked for pasta fazool. Uh, no, they didn’t have that, and that’s not how they say it up north (pasta fazool is a Southern dialect name for the dish otherwise know as pasta e fagioli, or pasta and beans). The waiter was not overtly annoyed at the Americans, and Ryan ordered something else.

So this dish is for him. Pasta and fagioli is a great warming dish with myriad variations from all over Italy. This one utilizes the greens of the season and gets extra creaminess from fresh ricotta stirred in at the end.

MENU:

Olives and sliced salami

Pasta and fagioli with and greens

Rustic bread

Marinated orange slices

TIPS:

Have everyone nibble on a variety of imported olives and sliced cured Italian meats while dinner cooks.

Make a simple dessert by marinating orange slices in a simple syrup spiked with spices, such as cloves, and a dash of liqueur.

PASTA AND FAGIOLI WITH GREENS

2 cups tubetti or other small pasta

4 ounces pancetta (Italian bacon) or bacon, chopped

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 cups chopped greens such as kale or spinach

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 can (141⁄2 ounces) chicken broth

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained

1⁄2 cup ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Heat a large pan of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta; cook according to package directions until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain; keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until fat renders and meat is browned, about 6 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until it begins to color, about 1 minute. Add greens, stirring to coat with fat. Cover; stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 20 minutes (if using spinach, the cooking time will be 5-10 minutes).

Add salt and pepper to taste; stir in the pasta, broth and beans. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add ricotta, stirring until mixture is creamy. Season with the red pepper flakes.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 426 calories, 22 percent of calories from fat, 10 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 26 mg cholesterol, 60 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein, 1,096 mg sodium, 7 g fiber