Fagioli Alla Mugnaia Recipes

TRE FAGIOLI WITH FREGOLA

Steps:

• For the dressing: Place the shallots, olive oil and vegetable oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook the shallots gently, at barely a bubble, until completely soft, 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• To a food processor, add the cooked shallots and oil, and the cider vinegar, iced tea, mustard, honey and salt. Pulse until the shallots are finely chopped and the dressing is thick. Set aside.
• For the salad: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the fregola and cook for 8 minutes or until cooked through. Drain well, then place in a large bowl. While the fregola is still warm, add the dressing and toss to coat. Allow the fregola to cool slightly before adding the green beans, wax beans, edamame, cherry tomatoes, basil and salt; toss gently to coat.
• Divide the salad between 8 plates. Top each with a burrata quarter and serve.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Drain the beans and bring to the boil in a pan of salted water. Cook for 10 mins, drain, rinse and put in a slow cooker with the onions, carrots and celery.
• Stir in the olive oil, garlic, stock, tomatoes, half a can of water and the miso. Tie the herbs together with kitchen string and add these as well. Season. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hrs, until the beans are cooked through and all of the veg is really tender.
• Remove and discard the herbs and stir in the pasta. Cover and cook on high for another 30 mins. Add the cavolo nero stalks and leaves and cook for a final 30-40 mins, or until the pasta is cooked through and the greens are tender. Serve scattered with the cheese and drizzled with a little more olive oil, if you like.

PASTA E FAGIOLI ALLA VENEZIANA

Steps:

• Put beans in pot and cover with cold water. Soak for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.
• Drain and put beans back into pot with carrot, celery, garlic, whole onion and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Skim surface if necessary.
• Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Check beans for doneness. They should be soft and creamy, not too mushy.
• Season beans with salt towards the end of the cooking time.
• While the beans are cooking, saute the onion in olive oil in a large skillet until onion is softened. Add the pancetta and continue sauteing until onion and pancetta are golden but not too crispy.
• Add the red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the rosemary and saute for one minute. Remove pan from heat and cover.
• Take the beans off the heat once they are cooked. Remove carrot. Throw out celery and onion. Lift out an abundant slotted spoonful of the whole beans and put into the pancetta pan. Take 2 tablespoons of the pancetta mixture and add to bean pot. Cut up the carrot and add to pancetta mixture.
• Using an immersion blender, puree the bean mixture until completely smooth. Add the pancetta mixture, stir briefly and bring to a boil.
• Stir in pasta pieces and cook until pasta is tender. If soup is too thick, add a little hot water.
• Serve with grated cheese and a swig of olive oil.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook the celery, carrots, onion and garlic until they're tender.
• Stir the broth, Italian seasoning and tomatoes in the skillet. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
• Add the pasta and beans and cook for 5 minutes.
• Place half of the broth mixture into a blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour the pureed mixture into the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is hot.

MACCHERONI ALLA MUGNAIA CON PEPERONCINI DOLCE FORTE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, warm the oil and soften the garlic for several minutes, permitting it to take on a little color. Add the paprika and the crushed chiles, stirring them about. Remove from the heat, cover the oil, and let it stand for 1/2 hour or longer. Reheat the oil slightly before saucing the mugnaia.
• On a large wooden board or a pastry marble or in a large bowl, place the flours with the fine sea salt in a flat mound and form a well in the center. Break the eggs directly into the well, add 2 tablespoons of water to the well, drawing the flour from the inside wall of the mound gently into the eggs and water.
• Using your hands, continue to work the elements into a rough paste. Should the paste be too dry, add the additional tablespoon of water-or even a few drops more, if necessary-and work it vigorously. Should the paste be too wet, add a few tablespoons more of the all-purpose flour and work it with the same vigor.
• Flour is never the same, even if it comes from wheat harvested from the same field and ground at the same mill on the same day by the same miller. Age and humidity act upon it, changing its structure so that it will drink in more or less moisture.
• Knead the dough, then, deliberately and rhythmically, for 8 to 10 minutes or more, until it is smooth and resilient to your touch. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, permitting it a 20-minute rest to relax its hard-worked glutens.
• Don't bother with a pasta machine for this rustic dough. I suppose the shepherds just patted it out on a flat stone. You'll find it easy enough to roll by hand. Begin by dividing the dough into thirds, covering two of the pieces to prevent their drying while you work with the first.
• Lightly sprinkle semolina over the work surface and, wielding a long, heavy wooden rolling pin, roll out the dough in one direction, using an outward motion. Roll the dough into a circle, rotating it often as it stretches and grows thinner. When the dough is rolled and stretched to a somewhat uniform 1/4 inch, roll it up, strudel fashion, and, with a sharp knife, cut it into 1/4-inch ribbons. Unroll the ribbons, dusting them lightly with semolina, and place them on metal sheets or trays, lined with clean kitchen towels. Proceed to roll and cut the remaining portions of dough.
• The mugnaia will be ready to cook after 1/2 hour or so or will keep nicely, tucked in under the kitchen cloths, overnight. Do not refrigerate the pasta.
• To cook the mugnaia, bring abundant water to a rolling boil, add 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt and the pasta. Cover the pot. As the water returns to the boil, begin counting. Mugnaia will usually take 4 to 5 minutes to cook, but test the texture after 3 minutes and cook it just to al dente.
• Drain the pasta, leaving it somewhat wet, and return it to the still-warm cooking pot.
• Add the sauce and coat the mugnaia very well. Serve the mugnaia in shallow bowls and offer the bottle of olio santo (see page 155). Cheese is not a classic adornment to this dish. I imagine the shepherds grew weary, once in a while, of even their own good pecorino.

FAGIOLI ALL'UCCELLETTO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan soak beans in enough cold water to cover by 2 inches at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain beans in a colander and return to saucepan with cold water to cover by 2 inches. Simmer beans, covered, until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid and drain beans in colander.
• In a heavy kettle cook garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring until softened. Add reserved cooking liquid, beans, tomatoes with juice, sage, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 minutes.

PASTA E FAGIOLI I

Steps:

• Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
• Add undrained tomatoes, undrained cannellini beans, chicken broth, parsley, basil and pepper to Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Let boil for approximately 1 minute and then let simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
• Add pasta to Dutch oven and simmer approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve immediately and enjoy.

FAGIOLI ALLA MUGNAIA

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight, then boil them in water that covers them by 2 inches until tender.
• Drain them well and put in a bowl.
• While the beans are cooking, combine the other ingredients in a bowl, whisking them well.
• Pour the sauce over the beans and serve them at room temperature.