There are two ways in which I make this dish, in first one, listed here, I use one pot to cook the vegetables and beans together. In the other I dice the vegetables and lightly saute them separately in butter. In both the vegetables are blended. The first version has a cleaner flavor, the second a slightly browned, heartier one. I'm not sure which I like better.
Ingredients:
- 450 g dried brown Borlotti beans, soaked overnight
- 2 onions cut into quarters (250-300 g)
- 1 large carrot or two small, peeled and halved (150-200 g)
- 3 medium-sized celery branches, with leaves, halved
- 2 rosemary branches + a few leaves to serve
- A small sage branch
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds or anise seeds
- 2.5 teaspoons of salt
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2-3 teaspoons "nutritional yeast" (if not using stock)
- Black pepper, generously
- One or two tablespoons of lemon juice
- About 400 g small hollow pasta, such as: Ditalini (rings) or Gnocchini (small shells)
- 1 teaspoon salt
To serve:
- Olive oil, use an aromatic one
- Plenty of black pepper
- Grated parmesan/pecorino cheese (optional, prefer a nutty cheese over a sharp one)
- A few rosemary leaves
preparation
- In pressure cooker, place the beans, onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, sage, fennel seeds, garlic yeast and salt.
- Cover with stock or water.
- Cook until the beans are tender (about 25 minutes under high pressure).
- Remove the rosemary and sage branches and discard them.
- Remove a third of the beans, along with any vegetable, and blend smooth.
- Mix back with the whole beans.
- Add a little water if the dish is too thick.
- Add black pepper generously and a spoon or two of lemon juice. Add more salt if needed.
To serve:
- Heat well.
- Add pasta to each dish.
- Drizzle with aromatic olive oil, sprinkle with some ground black pepper, a few rosemary leaves, and parmesan cheese.
