Sunday, July 24, 2011

Pasta Fagioli!

Pasta Fagioli!!! I will admit when you are on a budget but want to eat something comforting and yet impressive pasta fagioli with mussels is you answer! Made with beautiful cannelini beans that have been soaked over night ( or even canned ones) and a variation of mixed pasta, garlic, onions, a few little crushed cherry tomatoes for color, and mussels. This dish does not necessarily always have to have mussels but it adds intense flavor and you'll never want to eat it with out them again. My mother makes this with mussels and leaves them on the shell which is also very good but....my Zia Maria in Italy showed me an extra step that does basically knock your socks off!!!! She takes each mussel out after they have opened and once she has them all in a bowl without the shells once the pasta fagioli is ready to serve she takes a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil in a small pan and adds the mussels for a few second just until you here them sizzle!! Pour the pasta fagioli in the pasta bowl add the mussels with the delicious aromatic olive oil and some parsley and you have dish to remember!

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