Contributed by: Chef Mark Cleveland
Pasta Fagioli
Pasta Fagioli is a childhood favorite of Chef Mark Cleveland. It’s easy to prepare, has few ingredients, and is always delicious.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb baby lima beans – dry
1/2 lb white beans – dry
2 T miso – optional
4 qts Herbal Vegetable Broth Superfoods RX (recipe follows)
2 whole bay leaves
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 head celery sliced
28 oz tomatoes – canned crushed
2 T marjoram – minced
1/4 C basil – rough chop
1 lb cooked pasta
Salt and pepper
Herbal Vegetable Broth Superfoods RX
1 gallon water
1 C dry vermouth – optional
5 whole herbal and green tea bags
5 cloves garlic
1 large red onion papery – skin only
3 medium bay leaves
1 C parsley stems
2 C vegetable trimmings
3 T miso
Directions:
- Herbal Vegetable Broth Superfoods RX
- Put water and vermouth to boil while doing the vegetable and herb prep.
- Add the tea bags to the cold water.
- To the heating water add bay leaves, unpeeled, smashed garlic cloves, onion skin, parsley stems, greens, and miso. Don’t wait for the water to boil first; cooler water extracts the flavor from the aromatics as they heat.
- Add any hard woody herbs like, shiitake stems, lemon grass, lemon verbena, thyme with the miso.
- Bring broth to a low boil and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat, remove tea bags and add any soft delicate herbs like basil leaves, cilantro etc, and allow to steep for another 15 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle, strain.
- Soak beans in water and cover for 3 hours or overnight.
- Discard water.
- Cook in broth with miso and bay leaves until tender, about 45 minutes; skim off any foam as it forms.
- Saute onion in oil until golden. Add garlic and toss until fragrant and golden. Add to soup.
- Add crushed tomatoes and celery with leaves; bring to a simmer. Skim.
- When celery is tender (about 5 minutes) stir in herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide pasta among bowls and ladle soup over. Store leftover soup separate from pasta.
