Giulia’s Slow-Simmered Pasta e Fagioli

• 250 g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, gently smashed
• 70 g pancetta, small-diced
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 200 g ditaloni pasta
• sea salt
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 parmigiano-reggiano rind, scraped clean

1. 1

   Put your soaked beans in a deep pot, cover them with plenty of cold water, and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not salt them yet—salting them now makes the skins tough, a mistake you cannot undo later.

2. 2

   Let the beans simmer slowly for about an hour until they are tender. Keep an eye on the water level; if it drops below the beans, add a splash of boiling water to keep them submerged.

3. 3

   In a separate wide, heavy-bottomed pot, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the smashed garlic and pancetta, rendering the fat slowly until the pork is golden but not hard.

4. 4

   Toss in the cherry tomatoes, chili flakes, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the tomatoes burst and lose their shape, releasing their juices into the savory oil.

5. 5

   Discard the garlic. Ladle the cooked beans and their cooking liquid directly into the tomato pot, then drop in the Parmigiano rind. Let this simmer together for fifteen minutes to marry the flavors.

6. 6

   Stir in the uncooked ditaloni pasta directly into the bubbling beans. This is where people rush—stir constantly to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and scorch, which will ruin the whole batch with a bitter, burnt taste.

7. 7

   Add ladlefuls of hot water as the pasta absorbs the liquid, keeping the mixture saucy. The starch from the pasta and the beans will emulsify with the olive oil, turning into a creamy, glossy sauce.

8. 8

   Once the pasta is perfectly al dente, pull the pot off the heat. Stir in the fresh parsley and let it rest for five minutes to settle before serving. Do not skip this rest—the texture becomes beautifully cohesive.

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