Pasta e fagioli and Sopressata-Parmesan Beer Bread

This pasta e fagioli is my recipe which has been edited and revised and played with over the last 6 years or so. It was originally based on a recipe I found in a compilation Cooking Light cookbook, but it has changed drastically since then. So I call it all my own and it is awesome! Matty said this is the best one I have made. :-) The bread recipe is not mine however. It is also very good, however, we used a strong-ish beer and I think the cheese and salami flavors were a little lost. The recipe called for asiago but we used parmesan which may be too mild to stand up the the beer.

Pasta e fagioli

This made enough for us to have dinner on Sunday and then I had it for lunch yesterday (I think it might even be better leftover!) and Matty had it for lunch yesterday and today.

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 stick pepperoni, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped, divided
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans cannelini beans
6 cups cooking liquid (water, veggie broth, chicken broth, combination)
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup small pasta (ditalini are my favorite, I used pastini this time)
Parmesan cheese, grated (or the rind)
Crusty Italian bread (Or croutons)
Fresh basil for serving

1) A Dutch oven works really well for this, but any large heavy bottomed sauce pot would do. Cook bacon in olive oil until almost crisp.
2) Add onion and pepperoni and cook until onions and bacon are cooked.
3) Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
4) Add beans, crushed red pepper, cheese rind if using and cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour. I usually just let it cook until we are about an hour from wanting to eat. But you want at least a good hour.
5) Add reserved garlic, salt and oregano. Simmer an additional 30 minutes.
6) Scoop out 2 cups worth of the stuff. Not the liquid, the solid stuff and food process until smooth, add back to the pan.
7) Add pasta and cook until done.
8) Serve with fresh basil, parmesan cheese (unless you used the rind in which case it is probably cheesy enough) and bread (we made croutons with some old bread, we melted some butter with olive oil and garlic and poured that over the cubed bread, sprinkled with fresh basil and then baked until crispy).

Sopressata-Asiago Beer Bread


This savory quick bread pairs well with soup or chili and is ideal for an open house or casual get-together. Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice) (Once again, if you can eat just one slice, god bless you) Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2008


1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese (We used parmesan)
1 (12-ounce) bottle Italian lager beer (such as Peroni) (We used Clipper City Beer's Red Sky at Night Saison, but I would recommend a lighter beer)
2 ounces finely chopped Sopressata salami
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons melted butter, divided

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and green onions to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add onion mixture, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir Sopressata salami into batter.

4. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

CALORIES 154 (29% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 2.4g,mono 2g,poly 0.3g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; CALCIUM 89mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.2g; SODIUM 301mg; PROTEIN 5g; FIBER 0.7g