IMBB 11: pasta e fagioli in bianco e nero con tria.

(Black and white pasta e fagili with fried tria noodles)

Twelve months have passed the first IMBB? and eleven edition of the event have taken place in that time. Every month a new themes is picked, always a new stimulus to try something new, prepare a forgotten favorite or get wildly creative. Bust most of all to have fun  in the kitchen.

For this edition Cathy, of My little kitchen, picked beans: a lowly ingredient for some yet an incredibly nourishing and fascinating one. Beans, as other pulses, have often become the meat of the poor; rich in protein and filling -and I'm not talking about gas ;-)- they have been used in simple yet original ways in those countries where they count as a staple.

Having taken care of my bean-creative impulses a little time ago, I decided to have a go at a simple Italian classic: Pasta e Fagioli. There must almost be as many recipes for pasta e fagioli as there are Italians. There are versions from the North and from the South, with fresh egg pasta or with durum wheat one, with or without cheese, plain or with extra additons, like mussels... the list could go on. The most important thing for a good pasta e fagioli is the beans: ideally one would use fresh beans out of the pod. These do not need soaking cook quicker, break less and have a nicer subtler taste. Yet because of location and season that was plain impossible. So dried beans it had to be. Having no luck in finding the most common varieties of Italian beans, borlotti and cannelini, if not canned (a good choice elsewhere but not for pasta e fagioli) I picked something new to me: black eyed beans. Or peas? The package carried both names. I checked on the Larousse Gastronomique to make sure these are indeed beans, actually one of two strains original from either China or Africa, I started putting down my recipe.

The look of these beans, ivory white with a black "eye" when uncooked, tickled my fantasy and so I decided to keep the black and white theme using home made egg pasta either "white", the classic version, or black, dyed with squid ink. That was the dish as it should have been. At the last moment I added a further element, inspired by a dish, ciceri e tria, I ate in Puglia last September. In this dish fried freshly-made durum wheat noodles are added to a classic chickpea pasta, adding texture and a pleasant nutty taste. I just used some of the plain pasta. The addition changed the pasta e fagioli from a mellow dish to one of contrasts: the creamy beans and soft pasta found a good partner, making the dish somewhat unusual and more exciting.

Pasta e fagioli in Bianco e nero
(serves four as hearthy soup)
250 g black eyed beans, soaked ovenight and rinsed
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
4 peppercorns

In a large enough pot add the beans and aromas, then enough water to cover the beans with about 3 cm of water. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the beans are cooked but not mushy. Strain the beans but do not discard the liquid.

250g all purpose flour
50 g durum flour
3 eggs
1 tsp oil
a pinch of salt
a little squid ink, about 1 fresh ink pouch or a commercially available envelope of prepared ink.

Using flour, eggs, oil and salt make the pasta dough. Knead till smooth and silky. Cut in half. Let one half rest for at least half an hour under an inverted bowl (to avoid it drying out). Add the ink to the remaining half, knead until the ink is well distributed and rest as above.

Once the pasta has rested roll it with a rolling pin, or  easier, with a pasta rolling machine, to a medium thickness (on my pasta rolling machine I used gauge 5 of 9). Let the rolled sheets of pasta dry out slightly then cut into the desired shapes, but do not forget to save a little pasta for making the fried tria if you want to add them to the dish. I made lozenge shaped pasta, but simple taglaitelle would be fine.

1 medium onion
half a large carrot
half a large celery stick
the cooked beans
the rolled pasta
the beans' cooking liquid
olive oil
salt and pepper

Chop onion, carrot and celery to a small dice. In a large pot brown the diced vegetables with the oil, add the beans, stir quickly then add half the beans' cooking liquid. Adjust seasoning.

Once the liquid starts to boil add the pasta and let it cook till done, about five minutes. Add liquid as needed. It is important to know how you would like your pasta e fagioli. Since both pasta and beans will absorb some of the liquid during the following short rest time, the amount of liquid added has to be considered accordingly. If you want a rather soupy pasta e fagioli, keep the whole thing pretty runny. If you want a rather dry pasta e fagioli just add enough to have a little liquid left at the end.

Check seasoning, eventually adding salt and pepper as needed, and let the pasta e fagioli rest for about five minutes before eating, to allow the flavors to blend a bit.

Meanwhile make the fried tria: reserved pasta sheet from before oil for frying. In a shallow pan heat the oil. Cut the pasta into tagliatelle first and then into little rectangular pieces. Fry the pasta till golden brown.

To serve: ladle the pasta e fagioli into a soup bowl and sprinkle some fried pasta on top.

Comments

[ronald]

How could I forget! I haven't had these blak-eyed beans in a very long time - thanks for reminding me. They are staple food in Cyprus (where they are called mavromatouthkia - little black eyes) and are typically eaten with just steamed fish, olive oil, etc.

[Alberto]

Ronald, you should post some recipes from Cyprus on your blog every now and then, I'm definitely curious about them.

[Cathy]

Hi Alberto - I have finally made my way to your entry! It really sounds wonderful - I've never had the fried tria before, but they sound like a nice contrast to the other textures. I love the black & white theme too! Thanks so much for participating!

[Alberto]

Cathy, the tria are a nice addition and I'll use them more often in the future. You're the one we need to thank: you've done a fantastic job hosing this edition of IMBB?