Pasta Fagioli

This is a traditional Italian soup/stew.   My version is a cousin of Minestroni Soup, and uses a complex broth that includes tomatoes, carrots, onions, white wine, mushrooms and smoked turkey or ham bones – and eventually added to beans and pasta.

The first time I made this soup I was the chef for a fraternity at the University of Maryland.  My ingredients included vegetables, canellini beans, white wine and leftover cooked roast beef and bacon.  I added fresh parsley and lemon zest for the garnish.  The pasta was corn elbows.  I sampled the soup and it was amazingly delicious with complex flavor.  I served this soup accompanied with bread and salad.  The “boys” ate in silence.  I asked them what they thought – and a few volunteered that they were disappointed because a dinner should be on a plate with distinct portions of meat and vegetables.

PASTA FAGIOLI SOUP with SMOKED TURKEY