La Lama Mountain Ovens
Old Italian family recipes
and archives, baking tips, and bakery gifts
Family Secrets
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La Lama Mountain Ovens |
The best of the recipes, techniques, and methods practiced by our large extended Italian-American family - with emphasis on the legacy handed down to us by the original immigrants. This is a cookbook-in-process project. If you try any of these recipes please let us know how they turn out, whether or not you had any difficulties, and any clarifying improvements you might recommend to make them foolproof. We will of course acknowledge genuine "test-kitchen" assistance. |
Family Secrets #30The Pasta Soups By CeCe Dove, La Lama Mountain Ovens |
| Pasta e
Fagioli, Pasta Lenticchie, and Pasta Ceci, - this family
of soups were an integral part of our diet throughout our
childhood and remain so into our adulthood. I suppose we
would classify these as our "emotional foods" -
those meals that bring comfort and sustenance when we
need it most. Aside from that they are wonderfully
nutritious, easy to make, satisfying and delicious, and
to top it off they are inexpensive. These are not
delicate, light soups, but hearty meal-in-a-pot soups,
bordering on vegetables stews. During the season of Lent, these recipes play a major role in our diet because they are complete without meat. The combination of pasta with legumes or beans is a complete protein source. The recipes all work equally well with chicken broth or water, though the broth will result in a more complex flavor. While all of them can be made without meat, the pasta bean soup benefits greatly from the addition of some bacon, salt pork, or smoked ham. In the north of Italy rice is often used instead of pasta and central Italian cuisine will substitute beans, but our regional background indicates pasta. When making homemade pasta, it is simple enough to make a little extra, cut it into irregular shapes, called maltagliai which means "badly cut", dry them and store in a brown paper bag. These will keep in a cool dry place for a month and are perfect for any of these soups. Our mother's time-saving trick was to cook extra spaghetti and sauce for dinner one day, then simply take the leftovers, coarsely chop them and toss that in the soup pot the next day - adding the already cooked pasta at the very end. You may also used purchased dry pasta in small shapes, such as farfalle or elbows. |
 Brother Bill and sister Gloria. 1923 Lawrence Ave., Ellwood City, Pennsylvania |
_______________________________________ Pasta Lenticchie (Pasta with Lentils) Serves six |
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| Rinse and drain
lentils under cold water. Heat olive oil in large soup
pot. Add onion, garlic, carrot and celery, and sauté 5
minutes or until slightly softened but not browned. Add
lentils, broth (or water), tomato sauce, thyme and salt,
and optional Parmesan rind. If using the rind, reduce the
salt to 1 tsp. and taste later for adjustment. Bring to a
simmer, partially cover and simmer 45 minutes or until
lentils are thoroughly tender. Check the liquid
frequently during cooking and add more if the soup is
getting too thick. The soup should be fairly liquid at
this point because the pasta will now thicken it
considerably. Add the dried pasta, bring to a boil and
cook until pasta is tender, 10 to 12 minutes more. Stir
in a few grinds of fresh black pepper, pick out the
Parmesan rind if you've used it, and pass the grated
cheese at the table. Pasta Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas) Serves six |
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| You may use dried
chickpeas if you wish. If so, you will need to soak and
cook them in advance. The canned chickpeas are excellent
in this soup and much more convenient. If using canned,
rinse them well under cold water and remove the skins
that are loose. Drain well and set aside. Warm olive oil
in soup pot. If using fresh rosemary, add whole sprigs
and sauté until fragrant, 3 or 4 minutes, and then
discard them. If using dried rosemary add it to the oil
and stir for just a minute. Add garlic, and over low heat
sauté just until fragrant but not browned. Add tomatoes
and their juice and simmer for 20 minutes. Add broth or
water, and chickpeas, and bring to a simmer. Adjust salt
if necessary. Simmer 5 minutes. If you want a thick soup,
puree one cup of the chickpeas in a blender and stir them
back into the soup at this point. Bring to a full boil,
add pasta, and cook just until the pasta is al dente.
Check for liquid and add as necessary to bring to the
consistency you wish. Pass the grated Parmesan at the
table. Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta with Beans) Serves six |
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| I find soaking dried
white beans overnight unnecessary. Rinse under cold water
and drain well. Set aside. Warm olive oil in large soup
pot, add bacon if you are using it and sauté for 3
minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery and sauté for 5
minutes until slightly softened but not brown. Add garlic
and tomatoes with their juice (or tomato sauce) and
simmer for 10 minutes gently. Add beans and 8 cups of the
water and herbs. If using fresh sage, tie it up with the
parsley and remove later. If using smoked pork chop, add
it now. Bring to a simmer and cook until beans are quite
tender, at least an hour and up to 90 minutes. Check the
liquid frequently and add as necessary to keep the beans
fairly liquid. You may need to add at least the remaining
2 cups of water. Taste for salt (depends if you used
bacon or smoked pork or neither) and adjust. Bring to a
full boil. Making sure you have enough liquid, add the
pasta. Cook until tender. Add several grinds of fresh
black pepper. Pass the grated cheese at the table. Altitude Adjustment: Over 5000 feet you will need additional water or broth in all of these recipes. At elevations of 2500 to 5000 feet increase the time by 10 minutes, over 5000 feet increase the time by 20 minutes. |
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