Pasta con Cozze e Fagioli (Pasta with Mussels and Beans)

Makes 4 servings

You could use fresh pasta in this dish, such as tagliatelle or pappardelle, cut into bite-sized pieces, or a dried pasta that you’ve cooked halfway, such as tubettini or pennette. As the pasta cooks with the mussels, it will absorb their flavor.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz dry cannellini beans (or 2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 4 dozen mussels
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 chopped fresh tarragon leaves
  • 1 lb fresh or pre-cooked dried egg pasta
  • Kosher salt, as needed
  • Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 4 toasted bread slices

Directions

  1. (If you are using prepared beans, skip this step.) Prepare the beans a day in advance: Wash them and cover with cold water. Soak overnight. To cook the beans, place them in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by 3 inches. Add the bay leaf, rosemary, and 2 cloves of garlic that have been smashed. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the beans over low heat for about 1 hour. Skim the foam that might come to surface during cooking. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
  2. In the meantime, scrub the mussels and pull out their beards. Discard any open ones. Rinse them well and set aside.
  3. Thinly slice the remaining garlic. In a deep pot large enough to hold the mussels when they are open, warm half of the olive oil over medium heat with the sliced garlic until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mussels to the pan along with the wine, cover tightly, and cook until the mussels open, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Drain the mussels and reserve the liquid. Remove the mussels from their shells, leaving a few intact for garnish.
  5. In a food processor, purée half of the beans along with the cooked rosemary and garlic, the liquid of the mussels, the tarragon, and some of the liquid from the beans. (This should result in a semi-soupy sauce.)
  6. In a large sauce pot, bring this liquid to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook over medium heat until the sauce is thickened and creamy, about 5 minutes. (If necessary, add more liquid during cooking.) Just before the pasta is cooked, stir in the mussels and the remaining whole beans. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

CIA FOODIES

Pasta con Cozze e Fagioli (Pasta with Mussels and Beans)

Pasta con Cozze e Fagioli (Pasta with Mussels and Beans)
Makes 4 servings You could use fresh pasta in this dish, such as tagliatelle or pappardelle, cut into bite-sized pieces, or a dried pasta that you’ve cooked halfway, such as tubettini or pennette. As the pasta cooks with the mussels, it will absorb their flavor.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz dry cannellini beans (or 2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 4 dozen mussels
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 chopped fresh tarragon leaves
  • 1 lb fresh or pre-cooked dried egg pasta
  • Kosher salt, as needed
  • Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 4 toasted bread slices

Directions

  1. (If you are using prepared beans, skip this step.) Prepare the beans a day in advance: Wash them and cover with cold water. Soak overnight. To cook the beans, place them in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by 3 inches. Add the bay leaf, rosemary, and 2 cloves of garlic that have been smashed. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the beans over low heat for about 1 hour. Skim the foam that might come to surface during cooking. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
  2. In the meantime, scrub the mussels and pull out their beards. Discard any open ones. Rinse them well and set aside.
  3. Thinly slice the remaining garlic. In a deep pot large enough to hold the mussels when they are open, warm half of the olive oil over medium heat with the sliced garlic until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mussels to the pan along with the wine, cover tightly, and cook until the mussels open, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Drain the mussels and reserve the liquid. Remove the mussels from their shells, leaving a few intact for garnish.
  5. In a food processor, purée half of the beans along with the cooked rosemary and garlic, the liquid of the mussels, the tarragon, and some of the liquid from the beans. (This should result in a semi-soupy sauce.)
  6. In a large sauce pot, bring this liquid to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook over medium heat until the sauce is thickened and creamy, about 5 minutes. (If necessary, add more liquid during cooking.) Just before the pasta is cooked, stir in the mussels and the remaining whole beans. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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