INGREDIENTS:

1/8-1/4 cup pancetta, finely diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
5-8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large can (approx 35oz) whole peeled Italian tomatoes
1 dozen oil-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
3 anchovies, finely mashed (optional)
2 tabelspoons red wine vinegar
a pinch red hot pepper flakes
2 tablespoons each fresh basil and oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (save a little for sprinkling)
1 bay leaf
Romano or Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling)
1 lb pasta, cooked according to package directions
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Note: If you don’t have fresh herbs available, substitute 1/2 teaspoon each dry oregano and basil.

In a large skillet, sauté pancetta over low heat in olive oil until soft and translucent; bring heat up and allow to pancetta to brown slightly on edges.

Add garlic, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, parsley and olives. Mash the anchovies well into the oil, using the tines of a fork. Tip: You can do this with the garlic after it’s cooked, too, if you want to avoid having to mince them - just leave the cloves whole and mash them into the oil when they take on a little light coloring. Be careful not to let garlic brown or the oil with be bitter.

When garlic begins to take on the slightest color and herbs permeate the air, add the can of whole tomatoes (including the juice in the can). Submerge the bay leaf in the sauce.

Simmer over medium-low heat, with just the occasional lazy bubble surfacing for 20 minutes or so, until the sauce begins to thicken slightly. Stir in wine vinegar during final 10-15 minutes of cooking. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Meanwhile, as sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

In a large bowl, combine pasta with enough sauce to coat. Add a little of the pasta cooking water if sauce is too thick, or a teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle pasta with a little fresh parsley and cheese before serving. (Remove bay leaf before serving).

Note: Always use a good quality wine vinegar, and don’t substitute white or cider vinegar, although good balsamic vinegar or a full bodied red wine can be used for variation.

Chopped pork or salt pork may be substituted for pancetta, but with different (but still good) results.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups 00 flour (about 350 grams)
2 large whole eggs

DIRECTIONS:

Note: 00 is a fine flour with a lower gluten content than all-purpose flour. If you don’t have this on hand, use all purpose flour instead.

To prepare the mixture by hand, place the flour on a clean counter top or rolling board and make a well in the center.

Break the eggs into the well and using a fork, beat the eggs, gently drawing in flour from the sides. Continue dragging flour into the center well, stirring the ingredients together until the dough begins to form a homogeneous mass.

Begin kneading the pasta, first sprinkling the surface with flour. in which to put the eggs. Then beat the eggs with a fork and gently mix in the flour from the sides. Start mixing the ingredients together until the mixture becomes homogeneous.

IMPORTANT: If the pasta is too dry or crumbly, spray with a little lukewarm water. When the right texture has been reached, form a ball and leave to rest under an inverted bowl for 10-15 minutes.

If making noodles, roll out the dough using a roller pasta machine, dusting lightly with flour to prevent from sticking. Fold up and roll a second time, or continue to roll each sheet until it becomes smooth.

Once the pasta sheets begin to smooth out, decrease the roller setting by 2 numbers, and then again by 2 numbers, until the sheets are the thickness that you require for the product that you’re making.

Use the pasta sheets to make ravioli, lasagna, or roll up the sheet jelly-roll fashion, and slice to desired width to make noodles (or use the cutter attachment of your machine).

For a variation to this dough, add one teaspoon good olive oil for each cup of flour, and one teaspoon salt for each 2 cups flour. For a chewier pasta, replace 1/2 cup of the flour with semolina flour. To make a higher protein pasta, replace 1/2 cup flour with soy flour or high gluten (or balancer) flour. Adding high gluten flour also has the added benefit or reducing carbohydrates. To make an oriental noodle, substitute 1/2 cup of the flour with 1/2 cup of rice flour or potato starch.

In any of these substitutions, adjust liquids accordingly in order to have a dough of the proper consistency for rolling out.

You can add color to the dough by adding drops of beet juice (for red), spinach juice (for green), carrot juice for orange/yellow or squid ink for purple/black!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. dry cannellini, navy beans or baby lima beans
1/4 lb pancetta or lean salt pork, finely diced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, stems removed and minced
1/2 lb salami, sopressato, pepperoni or prosciutto, cubed
6 garlic cloves, mashed
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon oregano flakes, or to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon basil flakes, or to taste
1 16 oz can crushed or whole Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 prosciutto bone, ham hocks or smoked ham bone

DIRECTIONS:

This recipe was traditionally prepared using a prosciutto bone with a good deal of the meat still on the bone. We would have the butcher cut it into 3 sections for multiple uses. These days, a prosciutto bone is a commodity which is less simple to procure.

Although substitutes may be used and the results will be good, the soup will not be quite the same as the original, so some might argue that it would be worthwhile to purchase the entire prosciutto just for the benefit of getting the bone after all the prosciutto has been sliced.

An additional benefit is the rind and fat on the outside of the prosciutto, which can be finely diced and rendered in the pot to start the soup for sautéing the onions, garlic and vegetables. This replaces the salt pork or pancetta in the recipe and imparts a delicate and unique flavor.

If a substitute is used, a tiny drop of hickory smoke can be added to the soup to impart a smoky, somewhat similar aromatic quality.

Wash and pick over the dry beans and then soak overnight. Drain the following day.

In a large soup pot, sauté over very low heat the olive oil and cubed pancetta, proscuitto or salt pork for 10-15 minutes until the oil picks up the flavor. Sauté the vegetables (except for celery and tomatoes) and seasonings for 10 minutes, then add remaining ingredients (except tomatoes and pasta), including the drained beans, along with 2 1/2 quarts of water.

Cover the pot and simmer over low heat until the beans are very tender (2 1/2 to 3 hours). Check often and add more water, if needed.

If a soup bone is not being used, consider adding chicken broth instead of water; otherwise, the chicken broth will only detract from the delicate flavor of the prosciutto.

Cook’s Note: Fresh herbs are preferred whenever available. When using fresh herbs, remember to use a larger quantity than when using their dry counterpart.

Taste and adjust seasonings before serving. When the beans are tender and the broth is flavorful, serve accompanied by crusty Italian bread and freshly grated Parmesan cheese as an option.

This soup tastes even better the next day!