Pasta e Fagioli alla Romana with Pork Rind (Roman-Style Bean and Pasta Soup with Cotenna)

La storia di questo piatto

Pasta e fagioli with cotiche belongs to the poor, patient cooking of the Italian countryside, claimed in Rome and Lazio and echoed in other regions too. No one can pin it to a single century, only to the hands of those who made humble things taste like home.

Ingredienti

• 300 g Dried borlotti beans
• 1.5 l Water for soaking the beans
• 250 g Pork rind (cotiche)
• 40 g Lard
• 1 piece Onion
• 1 piece Celery
• 2 clove Garlic cloves
• 150 g Peeled tomatoes
• 1 piece Bay leaf
• 1.5 l Water for cooking
• 200 g Mixed short pasta (ditalini or small tubes)
• 10 g Fine salt
• 2 g Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoon Raw extra virgin olive oil
• 40 g Grated Grana cheese (served separately)

Preparazione

1. The evening before, place the borlotti beans in a large bowl with 1.5 litres of cold water, without salt, and leave them overnight. In the morning, drain them: you will see they have doubled in volume, with taut, glossy skins. Soaking rehydrates them and shortens cooking time, so don't skip it: it is the secret to beans that are soft right through to the heart.
2. Pass the pork rind briefly over a high flame to singe off the bristles, then scrape it with a knife until it is pale and smooth to the touch. Drop it into boiling water for 10 minutes, drain, and cut into strips about 2 cm wide. This step removes the strong odour and impurities: without it, the broth tastes of the stable and no spice can save it.
3. In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt the very finely chopped lard. Then add the chopped onion and celery and the crushed garlic, and let them soften for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soffritto should become golden and fragrant, never dark: the bitterness of burnt food never goes away, so keep the flame low and be patient. Add the rind and let it flavour the mixture for 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the peeled tomatoes, crushing them with your hands directly into the pot, then add the drained beans, the bay leaf and 1.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then immediately lower the flame to minimum and cover with the lid slightly ajar: the broth should only whisper, with an occasional bubble, because a strong boil breaks the beans and leaves them hard inside. Skim off any foam that forms and do not salt yet, or the skin will toughen. After 90 minutes the rind should be cut with the edge of a spoon and the beans should crush between two fingers.
5. Remove the bay leaf. With a ladle, take out about a third of the beans, mash them with a fork (or pass them through a food mill) and return them to the pot: the starch will make the broth velvety and creamy. Now add 10 g of fine salt, stir, taste the broth and adjust with a light hand: the pasta will absorb some of it, which is exactly why salt is added in stages.
6. Bring the broth to a lively boil and tip the pasta straight in, stirring often and scraping the bottom, since the starch tends to stick. If the soup thickens too much, loosen it with a ladle of hot water, never cold. After about 10 minutes the pasta should be al dente or slightly more: turn off the heat when the piece still has a faint firmness at the centre, as it will continue cooking off the heat.
7. Let the covered pot rest for 5 minutes: the soup settles and becomes thick, almost enough for a spoon to stand upright, yet still soft. Taste and correct the salt and pepper. Serve in deep bowls with freshly ground black pepper, generously, 4 tablespoons of raw extra virgin olive oil (one per bowl) and the grana served separately, so each person can add as much as they like.