Pasta e Fagioli "Harry's Bar" (Bean Soup With Noodles)

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Sort, rinse and soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover them by two inches. Alternatively, quick-soak the beans by boiling them for 5 minutes in the same amount of water. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for an hour.

2. Step 2

   Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the garlic until it is golden brown. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon. Add the chopped onion to the oil and saute gently until soft but not browned. Add the chopped tomato and rosemary and cook gently for 2 minutes.

3. Step 3

   Drain the beans and put them into a large, heavy pot together with the sauteed ingredients. Add 5 cups of water and 5 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat until the liquid barely simmers, using a metal heat dispersion plate if necessary. Cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the beans are tender but not mushy.

4. Step 4

   Strain the cooked beans, reserving the liquid. Puree half the beans in a food processor or grind them through the finest disk of a food mill.

5. Step 5

   Return the pureed beans and 2½ cups of cooking liquid to the pot and stir to combine. Add the cooked whole beans and correct the seasonings, adding salt and pepper if desired. Cover the pot and adjust the heat so the soup barely simmers.

6. Step 6

   Cook the noodles in rapidly boiling water until barely tender. Drain.

7. Step 7

   Divide the noodles among the individual soup bowls, reserving half if second helpings are to be served. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles and serve at once.