Cranberry Bean Soup

I have this in the pressure cooker right now - 1:30 minutes, beans were not presoaked. Where did I find dried cranberry beans? At a natural food store in Lexington. They aren't readily available in grocery stores.

~ jan

Ingredients
# 1 lb. dried cranberry beans
# 1 large onion, diced
# 1 stalk celery, diced
# 2 carrots, diced
# 1/4 lb. pancetta, chopped
# 2 garlic cloves, minced
# 2 c. peeled, seeded, and finely chopped tomatoes
# 1/2 c. chopped parsley
# 1/4 lb. spaghetti or tagliatelle, broken up into 1-inch pieces and cooked al dente
# salt
# black pepper
# 1 garlic clove, minced, for garnish
# olive oil, for garnish

Directions

Soak the beans in cold water to cover overnight. Drain and place them in a large saucepan with the onion, celery, and carrots. Cover with water, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the beans are almost done, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, saute' the pancetta until it renders its fat. Add the garlic cloves and saute'. Add the tomatoes and parsley and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove 2 c. of beans from the saucepan and puree them in a food mill or food processor
. Stir the puree back into the soup. Add the tomato mixture and the spaghetti to the soup. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook the soup to warm it through. Garnish with minced garlic and a stream of olive oil.

Serves 8 as a first course.

Recipes from The Heart
of Sicily: Recipes and Reminiscences of Regaleali, a Country Estate by Anna Tasca Lanza (Clarkson Potter, copyright 1993 by Anna Tasca Lanza).