Minestra Di Fagioli

FOR THE SOUP

• 1 med yellow onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 med carrot
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 whole tomato peeled and chopped
• salt and pepper
• hot pepper flakes to taste
• ¾ lb ditalini pasta
• handful fresh spinach
• pecorino romano cheese to sprinkle

Pasta Fagioli Soup

• ½ lb cabbellini beans
• 5 sage leaves
• 2 tablesoons olive oil

Soak the beans overnight in a bowl of cold water. Next morning, in a medium pot 2 ½ quarts of cold water over medium heat. When water boils, rinse the beans and add them to the pot with sage and olive oil. Simmer for 45 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to taste and simmer 2 minutes more.
Drain the beans, saving the water and discard the sage leaves. Place beans in a bowl covered by damp paper towels until needed.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop onion, celery, and carrot. In a medium sized stockpot add oil over medium heat. Add chopped ingredients and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper flakes. Pour in the bean water and simmer for 30 minutes.
When the soup is ready, cook the pasta, in the soup itself, when pasta is almost done add the cooked beans. Taste for seasoning and simmer until pasta is cooked. When pasta is cooked add spinach.
Serve immediately with fresh pecorino Romano cheese.
Add a drizzle of olive oil over each serving.

FREGOLA AI GAMBERI FREGOLA WITH SHRIMP

• 1.5 lbs. unshelled med shrimp
• coarse salt
• 1 large lemon

FOR THE SAUCE

• 2 lbs. very ripe tomatoes or 2 lbs canned tomatoes
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 lb dried fregola
• 2 large pinches of saffron

Soak the shrimp in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes with coarse salt and juice from the lemon.
Boil a large pot of water and add coarse salt to taste. Drain the shrimp and add to boiling water for 1 minute. Drain the shrimp and save the cooking water.
Prepare the sauce: Cut tomatoes into pieces, place into a medium sized saucepan with garlic and oil and place over medium heat; cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pass contents through food mill or food processor and put it into a new saucepan. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 35 degrees. Bring the shrimp cooking water back to a boil, add saffron, then fregola and cook for 20 minutes (it will finish cooking in the oven). As it boils add sauce to large oven safe casserole dish, add shrimp and mix well. Drain fregola, put in casserole dish and mix well. Cover it and bake for 10 minutes, serve immediately.