Who doesn’t love a good food pun? Pasta Faghoul (also known as Pasta e Fagiole) is a Halloween tradition at my house. Every fall, the girls get excited and ask me if I’m going to make it again. However, now whenever they see it on a menu, they always pronounce it fa-ghoul instead of “Fa-joli”. I’ve not yet been able to post this on the blog as I always make it the night of Halloween (no one looks at posts on Halloween night). However, this year, we had a Halloween block party last weekend, so I made it a bit early. I also decided to up the fun factor, by swapping out the normal Ditalini, and purchased Halloween-themed pasta shapes of bats and jack-o-lanterns. The meal is comforting for a cold, fall night. We typically eat it around a fire pit I set up in the driveway while we hand out candy. Doesn’t get much better than that! Hope you all have a great Halloween.
Pasta Faghoul
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 oz pancetta, finely diced (or bacon)
5 cups of chicken stock, divided
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes
2 cans cannellini beans
½ lb Ditalini or other small pasta shape
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (less if using pre-grated store bought Parm)
Basil
Finely dice your vegetables and ham. Heat a couple of tablespoons of the oil in a dutch oven, over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the diced veggies and ham, along with some salt and black pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until things begin to soften.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse 1 can of the beans. Combine the beans and 1 cup of stock in a food processor and mix until smooth. Reserve. Drain and rinse the other can of beans, leaving them whole and reserve.
Once the vegetables have softened, stir in the tomato paste, garlic and a heavy pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant and the tomato paste has incorporated, about a minute or so.
Then, stir in the processed bean mixture, the whole beans, and remaining stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, maintaining a simmer for 10 minutes, until lightly reduced.
Increase the heat to medium and return to a boil, then stir in the pasta, cooking until al dente, about 10-12 minutes. You'll need to stir frequently at this point to avoid the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Off heat, stir in Parmesan and a ¼ cup of torn basil. Taste for any seasoning needs.
To serve, portion out in bowls, garnishing with more Parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper, sliced fresh basil, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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