Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus ¼ - ½ cup more to make the Hot Pepper Oil*
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 canned and peeled plum tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt (perhaps a bit more if your tomatoes are unsalted)
- 2½ - 3 cups cooked cannellini beans or chickpeas, with enough of their cooking liquid to barely cover them
- 6 ounces large tubular pasta, like rigatoni, or ziti, penne, or ditali
- Hot Pepper Oil, for serving
Hot Pepper Oil
Break 1 or 2 dried hot chilies (any variety), seeds and all, into ¼ - ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil. Let soak for several hours.
Cooking the Beans
- Makes almost 3 cups.
- Put 1 cup cannellini beans or chickpeas in a large pot. Cover with water so there is at least 2 inches of water over the beans and soak overnight.
- Or....if you don’t want to soak them overnight, cover with water so there is at least 2 inches of water over the beans. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let them sit, covered, for 1 hour.
- Drain the beans and cover with plenty of water again. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Add 1½ teaspoons salt and simmer until tender, 10–15 minutes more. (Optional: Add a sprig of rosemary when you add the salt. Remove when the beans are done.)
- Drain the beans, reserving enough broth to cover them.
Pasta e Fagioli or Pasta e Ceci
- Heat a large pot of water for the pasta.
- Put the ¼ cup olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in a 2½ - 3 quart pan.
- When the garlic starts sizzling (don’t let it brown), crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands. (Or cut the tomatoes up roughly and add them.)
- Add the salt and simmer the tomatoes for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon, if necessary.
- Add the beans and their liquid, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a spoon, smash a few of the beans against the side of the pan.
- While the beans are simmering, add a tablespoon of salt to the cooking water and cook the pasta until it is almost done. (My rigatoni box said to cook for 10 minutes; I cooked it for 8 minutes.)
- When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water and then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the beans; stir and cook for about 2 minutes so the pasta can finish cooking and absorb some of the flavors. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water if it seems too dry.
- Cover the pot, remove from the heat and let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Serve and pass the Hot Pepper Oil at the table to drizzle on top of individual servings.
