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Pasta e Fagistone Soup
October 2013
Most Octobers all I want are chili and harvest stews...but then I came across this amazing recipe.  Yes, it is a bit labor intensive, but that just means you get to smell all the yumminess that much longer (yes, I did just use "yumminess" as a descriptor). One afternoon when you are ready to put good music on (or just play Mambo Italiano on a loop) make sure you have your ingredients and prepare to have your belly thank you.

Also note that this is potentially a start the night before recipe, if you went to see Stone Soup perform and forgot to start the beans soaking before you left and find yourself needing 6 hours to soak beans but not having 6 hours at your disposal, see the canned bean solution to your problem at the end (though really soaking the beans yourself is sooo easy).

Ingredients
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons salt, divided
  • 1 pound dried cannellini beans*
  • 1 magic stone
  • 1/2 pound (5 to 6 pieces) thick-cut bacon
  • 2 large yellow onions, diced
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup white wine or water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 pound pasta
  • 5 thyme sprigs
  • 10 ounces baby spinach
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine the water and 1 1/2 tablespoons salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the beans, cover the bowl, and let stand at least 6 hours or overnight.


Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon. Once all the fat has rendered, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all put one tablespoon of bacon fat. Add the magic stone to the pot. Cook the onions slowly with 1/2 teaspoon of salt start to caramelize and turn golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the celery and cook just until the celery is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Remove half of the onion mixture and reserve with the bacon. Deglaze the pan with one cup of wine or water, scraping up any brown residue that has formed on the bottom of the pan.

Drain and rinse the beans and pour them into the pot with the remaining onions. Add the bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of salt, and enough water to cover the beans and onions by 1 inch. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then begin checking the beans for doneness. Check the beans every 15 minutes until they are completely soft and creamy. (This can take up to 2 1/2 hours depending on the age and exact variety of your beans.)

Set the pot of cooked beans over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add the bacon, reserved onions, thyme, pasta, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente. Add more water if necessary so the pasta is submerged.

Add the spinach to the pot and stir until it is wilted. Remove the bay leaf and the thyme stems. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.


*Canned Bean Shortcut: To make this with canned beans instead of from scratch, substitute 3 15-ounce cans of beans and swap the water for chicken or vegetable broth. Skip the long cooking time — just bring all the ingredients (except the pasta) to a simmer, add the pasta, then simmer until the pasta is cooked.



Stone Soup Recipe Archive

Have a great recipe for Stone Soup you want to submit?  E-mail recipes@stonesoupshakespeare.com with your recipe and something about you.  If we choose your recipe to post, we'll send you an e-mail link to the site.  Even if you don't have your own recipe we hope you invite your neighbors over tonight and try your very own batch of Stone Soup.

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  • About
    • Our History
    • The Company
    • Mindfulness and Awareness
  • TOUR
    • Tour 2022: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Tour Dates
    • Tour 2022: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Cast and Creatives
    • Tour 2022: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM About
    • Tour 2022: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Survey
    • Tour 2022: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM FAME Center Collaboration
    • Past Tours >
      • Tours >
        • Tour 2021: HAMLET Tour Dates >
          • Tour 2021: HAMLET Cast and Creatives
          • Tour 2021: HAMLET RSVP
        • Tour 2019: FAME Tour-Twelfth Night >
          • Tour 2019: FAME Tour Schedule
          • Tour 2019: Ensemble
          • Tour 2019: FAME Tour a Note of Inclusion
        • Tour 2018: The Taming of the Shrew >
          • Tour 2018: Tour Schedule
          • Tour 2018: Ensemble
        • Tour 2017: Julius Caesar home
        • Tour 2016: The Comedy of Errors >
          • Tour 2016: The Comedy Cast
        • Tour 2015: Much Ado About Nothing >
          • Tour 2015: Much Ado About a director
          • Tour 2015: Much Ado About a cast
          • Tour 2015: Much Ado About SHAKE38
          • Tour 2015: Much Ado About Other Fun
          • Tour 2015: Much Ado About a GREEN SHOW
        • As You Like It >
          • As You Like It Actors
          • As You Like It Auxiliary Events
        • The Tempest >
          • The Tempest Who's Who
          • The Tempest Talks
        • A Midsummer Night's Dream: Tour 2012
        • Romeo and Juliet: Tour 2011 >
          • Romeo and Juliet Tour
          • Romeo and Juliet cast
  • EDUCATION
  • Soup
    • The Tale of Stone Soup
    • Recipe Archive
  • DONATE
  • Contact
    • Artists