Cannellini, Lentil, and Pennette Soup
Just in Time for Soup Season
Cannellini, Lentil, and Pennette Soup | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
Autumn is a singular time: a reprieve from oppressive heat and a prelude to biting cold. It’s a chance to party with nature before it holes up for the winter.
We've been having an especially magical autumn in the Northeast. Bright skies and a slight chill in the air spark feelings of hope and possibility for me, and brilliant fall colors speak more of renewal than loss. The days are getting shorter, but my energy is lasting longer. I’ve been getting up earlier and accomplishing more than I have in ages — and that includes cooking more often than usual. That may be because among the many delights of fall is the onset of Soup Season.
I’m excited about making beef stew again, and I predict this will be the year I finally get around to making chicken potpie soup. In the meantime, I got my hearty soup motor running by making this Cannellini, Lentil, and Pennette Soup yesterday. The recipe is by Toni Lydecker from her book “Piatto Unico,” published by Lake Isle Press.
It’s basically a pantry meal. Based on what I had on hand, I used carrots instead of butternut squash, dried Great Northern beans instead of cannellini, French Green Lentils, and Parmesan cheese. I added an extra can of cannellini beans at the last minute because I thought the soup needed more, and I cooked the pasta separately so the leftover pasta wouldn’t absorb the soup liquid.
Lentils have a stronger, earthier taste than beans, so this dish tasted more like a lentil soup than a bean soup. This recipe could easily accommodate omitting the lentils and doubling the beans to make it more like a pasta e fagiole.
Soup season is a happy marker of fall, but its joys can wear thin as autumn turns to winter, and winter drags on for what seems like years. The satisfaction that comes along with a hearty soup simmering on the stove gives way to a yearning for fresh salads, spring vegetables, and fish on the grill. But I’m not there right now. Autumn is at its peak, and my ladle is ready.
CANNELINNI, LENTIL, AND PENNETTE RECIPE
Click here for printable recipe.
Makes 6 servings
Prep: 30 Minutes (plus up to 6 hours soaking time for the legumes | Cook: About 1½ hours
INGREDIENTS
1 cup dried cannellini or other small white beans
1 cup lentils (preferably the small, greenish-brown Italian or French variety)
1 medium onion, halved
2 bay leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup peeled, small-diced butternut squash (see Note)
1 stalk celery, diced small
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes with some of the purée
2 cups chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste
Sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pennette or other small pasta (see Note)
2 to 4 cups shredded spinach or chard
PREPARATION
In separate bowls, soak the cannellini and lentils for 6 hours or until as directed on the packages (see Note). Drain the legumes (keeping them separate) and rinse under running water, rubbing between your hands and picking out any pieces of grit, until the water runs clear.
Place the cannellini, one onion half, and the bay leaves in a large saucepan; cover with water to a depth of several inches above the beans. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low and simmer very slowly for 30 minutes. Stir in the lentils. Continue to simmer until both are perfectly tender, but still firm enough to hold their shape, about 30 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, chop the remaining onion half. In a skillet, combine the onion with generous quantity of olive oil (2 to 3 tablespoons). Over medium heat, cook until tender but not browned. Stir in the squash and celery and continue to cook for few minutes; add the garlic, cooking just until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, broth, and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer the mixture while the beans finish cooking.
In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. When the simmering beans have absorbed most of their liquid, add 2 to 3 cups of the boiling water and 2 teaspoons salt to the beans. Add the pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 8 to 12 minutes. Add the tomato mixture and spinach, simmering until the pasta is tender and the spinach wilts. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Pass a chunk of the Piave with a small grater, or grate some of the cheese to serve in a bowl.
NOTES
Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, or use the peeled chunks sold in some produce departments. Acorn squash or carrots — or even sweet potatoes — could be substituted for the butternut squash.
In recent years miniature shapes such as pennette and mini fusilli have become more widely available. In soups, they offer a midsize alternative to regular pasta and tiny soup pasta.
Normally, lentils are not presoaked, but sitting in water does soften them, shortening the cooking time-and, since you're soaking the cannellini anyway, why not?
Recipe from “PIatto Unico” by Toni Lydecker, Lake Isle Press, 2011
CANNELINNI, LENTIL, AND PENNETTE SOUP RECIPE
From “Piatto Unico”
by Toni Lydecker, Lake Isle Press, 2011
“As you have no doubt heard and observed, a real Italian meal consists of several courses. Except when it doesn’t.” —Toni Lydecker
A languorous multi-course Italian meal is a traditional and wonderful thing; in this authoritative collection, Toni Lydecker leads us to the simple beauty of the piatto unico or one-course Italian meal. Well-balanced and packed with bold flavors, the piatto unico pairs the rustic simplicity of great Italian cooking with a modern sensibility.
ALSO FROM “PIATTO UNICO”
Couscous Confetti Salad with Tuna Recipe
Herbed Roast Pork Tenderloin with Parsnip Puree Recipe
Lemony Carrot Marmalade Recipe
Pot Roast with Porcini and Root Vegetables Recipe
Potato, Onion, and Pancetta Frittata Recipe
Mountain Salad With Bacon, Fontina, and Sweet-Sour Onions Recipe
Orecchiette Al Fumo Recipe
Saffron Risotto Recipe
Spring Greens With Rice Soup Recipe