Pasta Fagioli (pronounced Pasta Fazool) – This should feed at least 6 people — and it freezes well too
Ingredients:
- 1-2 loaves of Crusty Italian Bread
- (3) 15 oz cans cannellini beans
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 oz pancetta or approx 4 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
- 3 cups beef broth
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 3/4 cups small pasta shells, uncooked
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions:
- Drain ONE can of beans and set aside.
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and pancetta and sauté until onions are golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and sauté about 4 additional minutes.
- Transfer sautéed ingredients to a blender or food processor and add the two other cans of beans (liquid included). Puree until smooth.
- Add the pureed mixture back into the pot, along with the drained beans, the chicken and beef broth, salt, and crushed tomatoes. Simmer while pasta is cooking.
- In a separate pot, cook pasta shells until al dente. Box should give you timing. You don’t want them mushy.
- Once the pasta is cooked, remove from heat, drain and add to bean mixture.
- Simmer everything together for 8-10 minutes.
- If you like a little kick, top with crushed red pepper; Serve, topped with red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese, with crusty bread.
For those of you who have been assigned to the local cake sale, here is one of my favorites. But I warn you, you will want to make one for yourself. Just yourself. It’s from Patricia Dorph who gave us her Busch de Noel cake last Christmas.
Patti’s Plum Cake
Ingredients:
- 9” round pie pan – greased
- 1 cup butter – softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 2-3 plums cut into slices
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tsps. Cinnamon
- 2 tsps. Powdered sugar
- Juice of lemon
Instructions:
- Beat sugar into butter; add eggs and vanilla.
- Add flour and beat mixture well.
- Spread mixture into greased pan.
- Starting in the center, place plums on top in wagon-wheel design (spokes coming from the center).
- Bake 45 minutes – test with a toothpick.
- Let cool.
- Sprinkle cinnamon and powdered sugar to taste, squeeze lemon juice over cake top of cake.