The Puglia Kitchen | Pasta e Fagioli alla Barese

Pasta and beans Bari style

Pasta e fagioli is one of the few dishes we cook that isn’t seasonal when it comes to ingredients. However, when it comes to comfort food eating, pasta e fagioli is a Puglia Kitchen favourite during Puglia’s not-summer season (in Puglia we only have two seasons: summer and not summer)!

Traditionally this dish would have been made with freshly popped from the pod beans, and at other times of the year using dried beans. But these days we use canned beans, or beans from a jar. Not just because it avoids the pre-planning of soaking dried beans in advance, but rather because the liquor the pre-cooked beans come in is essential flavour.

Pasta e fagioli is cooked all around Italy, and there is no end to the number of variations from region to region, town to town and from home to home.

In Bari, pasta e fagioli is made with a local ingredient that takes it to another level of pleasure: ricotta forte – in Barese dialect, ricotta ascuànt – a store cupboard essential in our Puglia Kitchen. It is a type of fermented ricotta cheese, creamy and with a strong, tangy flavour.

For this you will need

• 600g canned cannellini beans (275g dried)
• 250g conchiglie pasta (or cocciolini, cavatelli, or pasta mista)
• 250g cherry tomatoes, quartered (and squeezed)
• 1 stick of celery
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• Extra virgin olive oil (evoo), as needed
• Salt, as needed
• Chilli, as needed
• Parsley, as needed
• 2 teaspoons ricotta forte

Serves 4

1. If you are using dried cannellini beans thoroughly rinse them, then soak them in cold water for at least 10 hours. Drain them, transfer them to a pot, and cover with fresh cold water – they should be submerged by at least twice their volume.
2. Bring the beans to the boil, adding 1 bay leaf and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Then, simmer on a very low heat for about 90 minutes, until tender. Add salt only at the end of cooking. Leave to cool in their cooking liquor.
3. In a large saucepan or casserole, pour in at least 5 tablespoons of evoo, the crushed garlic and a bay leaf. Add a few pieces of chilli and sauté gently. Next, add the celery, sliced into thin rounds, and cook for a few minutes.
4. Now, add the chopped cherry tomatoes (we squeeze them by hand in a colander to get rid of excess liquid and seeds then cook until they start to break down, creating a rich sauce.
5. At this stage, add the pre-cooked (or canned) cannellini beans, the second bay leaf, a handful of chopped parsley, and season with salt. Let the mixture absorb the flavours for a few minutes, then cover completely with water. Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes.
6. In a large pot, bring water to the boil and cook the pasta. Drain it halfway through the cooking time and add it to the beans, along with a little pasta water if needed. Finish cooking the pasta in the bean mixture, being sure to stir frequently.
7. Once cooked, stir in the ricotta forte and let it melt, stirring well. We leave it to stand for five minutes before serving.

With Tips & Twists

• Before adding the pasta you can blend half of the bean soffritto mix, but we find that with thinly sliced celery this isn’t necessary.
• Cook the pasta for half of its cooking time in water before adding it to the beans, to prevent too much starch from forming. Alternatively, you can cook it directly with the beans, adding more boiling water as needed.
• Always reserve a little pasta water before draining, in case you need to adjust the consistency.
• If you enjoy spicy flavours, before serving, you can enhance the dish with a drizzle of olio santo (chilli-infused oil) or simply a dash of extra virgin olive oil and some red chilli flakes.

More from the Puglia Kitchen:

If you like this recipe try ciceri e tria, fried pasta with chickpeas, a Salento favourite.