Recipe: Venetian White Bean Soup with Pasta and Homemade Beef Sausage

VENETIAN WHITE BEAN SOUP
WITH PASTA AND HOMEMADE BEEF SAUSAGE

"Here's a Venetian version of pasta e fagiol that calls for fresh pasta and homemade beef sausage. It is a wonderfully homey and filling bean soup that can be a meal-in-a-bowl. If you like, add 2 cups chopped cooked Swiss chard or curly endive during the last 10 minutes of cooking."

1 3/4 cups dried white or borlotti beans,* picked over, rinsed (about 14 oz)
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 pound freshly-made or purchased fresh fettuccine, cut into maltagliati (irregular 1 1/2-inch pieces) (or use dried tubetti pasta)
2 cups meat broth (more or less)
1/2 pound Beef Sausage meat mixture (recipe follows), rolled into tiny meatballs
Salt and Freshly-ground black pepper (to taste)

Place the beans in a saucepan with cold water to cover generously and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain well, add fresh water to cover, and again bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, warm 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add to the beans and return to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the beaus are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the bean mixture from the heat. Scoop out and reserve about 2 cups of the beans. Puree the remaining beans in batches in a blender or food processor, and place the puree, the reserved beans, and any cooking liquid in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; if the mixture is too thick, thin with hot water.

While the soup is reheating, cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente, then drain. Add to the bean soup. At the same time, bring the meat broth to a gentle boil, add the meatballs, and poach until cooked through, about 5 minutes, depending on their size.

Add the meatballs and the broth to the bean soup and simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir often with a wooden spoon so the beans don't scorch and stick to the bottom of the pan. If the soup begins to thicken too much, you may need to add a little hot water.

Just before serving, season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Grind a little pepper over the top and serve.

*Also known as cranberry beans. Pinto beans may be substituted.

Makes 6 servings

BEEF SAUSAGE
Makes 10 servings

2 pounds boneless beef shoulder, finely ground
1/2 pound beef fat, finely ground
6 to 8 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 eggs, lightly beaten (if making patties or meatballs)
Olive oil for frying (if making patties or meatballs)

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the eggs and olive oil and mix well. Divide into 2 or 3 equal portions and shape each portion into a sausage about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each sausage well in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate.

If you want to cook this mixture as patties or meatballs, just after making, bind it with the eggs, then fry in olive oil until golden on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. If you have stored it in the refrigerator, slice off lengths as needed, and fry them in olive oil until golden.

Comments: "As Jews were forbidden to eat pork, they developed a sausage made from beef. It is called luganega, related to lucanica, a sausage from Basilicata in the south. Arabic influence is revealed in the use of savory sweet spices. The flavorful mixture can be stuffed into well-washed beef sausage casings purchased from your butcher, but it is just as easy to shape the mixture into long sausages, wrap them in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 5 or 6 days. When you need some sausage, you can just cut off the amount you want. You can also shape this mixture into patties or meatballs for cooking. This recipe is based on a description from La cucina veneziana by Giuseppe Maffioli."

Source: Cucina Ebraica by Joyce Goldstein