Creamy Pasta e Fagioli Recipe From Chef AJ Sankofa

“Rich, creamy, fatty, hearty, sharp… delicious…” That was the unforgettable pasta e fagioli dish that chef AJ Sankofa, an up-and-coming young American chef, feasted on in the kitchen of Andrea Larossa, a Michelin-starred restaurant where he worked in Alba, Italy.

That day, chef Sankofa was told the family meal would be a “surprise.” As he prepped, he watched the sous chef, Pio Peppe Tritta from Bari, Italy, chop vegetables, dice guanciale and boil beans. Suddenly, the sous chef reached for five boxes of tiny dried pasta and unwrapped a piece of Pecorino cheese. Chef Sankofa had never tried this pasta recipe known in Southern Italian dialect as ‘pasta fazool,’ but he instantly fell for the taste.

“I’ll never forget the look on chef Pio’s face as he watched me take my first bite. When I looked up, he was smiling with a twinkle in his eye as he saw my immediate delight," says Sankofa. The caring sous-chef then told him: ‘These are the moments that I live for, and these are the moments that I want to pass on to you.'

Ever versatile, the velvety texture of puréed borlotti and controne beans stewed with fried pork cheek comforts and restores the body at any time of year, especially before a grueling round of Michelin-style dinner service. Chef Sankofa always saves the starchy pasta water at the end to emulsify the smoky bean sauce. The end result is a delicious balance of earthy flavor.

“I was truly amazed, floored even," says chef Sankofa, recalling the dish. “And to top it off, I felt full and content, but not heavy and groggy after eating it.” 

If you can't visit chef Sankofa's pasta shop, Eso Artisinal in Morristown, New Jersey, or their pasta pop-up in New York City's Hudson Yards, here's the recipe for cooking at home. Buon Appetito!

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

250g Borlotti Beans (soaked overnight)
250g Controne Beans (soaked overnight)
360g Peeled Plum Tomatoes
180g Tomato Purée
180g Guanciale
1 carrot, minced
1 onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 pint Pork or Beef Broth
1 cup picked parsley
1 pound small pasta of your choice
Salt
Chili Flakes
Pecorino Romano

Method:

1. Begin cooking the borlotti beans in a small pot of salted water until tender. They should be completely submerged in boiling water for the next 45 minutes, so that they are cooked enough to be pureed.
2. Remove the skin from the guanciale and dice it into small bite-sized cubes.
3. Begin cooking the guanciale in a large pot on low heat so that the fat renders, stirring constantly.
4. Once the fat has rendered, add the sliced garlic while continuing to stir. The garlic will brown, which is good, but it shouldn’t appear too dark. It will smell slightly toasted and smoky from the pork.
5. Add the carrot, celery and onion and continue cooking on low heat stirring constantly until the vegetables become translucent.
6. Add the soaked controne beans to the pot and cover with the plum tomatoes and pork stock. At this point, turn the heat up and stir occasionally until you reach a strong simmer and then keep the simmer consistent on medium heat.
7. Once the Borlotti beans are cooked, purée them with the tomato purée in a blender until smooth, and then add them to the large pot with the rest of the ingredients.
8. Stir everything together until well-mixed and allow to simmer until the controne beans are slightly past al dente. If the sauce becomes too thick, add water or broth to thin it out as you go.
9. Once the beans are cooked and the sauce is at the correct consistency, season it with salt, and chili flakes to taste. Set aside.
10. Boil the pasta of your choice in salted water, strain–while saving all of the pasta water– and add to the pot with the sauce.
11. Toss all of the ingredients together in the same pot with a bit of olive oil and pasta water to create a creamy and steamy emulsion.
12. Finish with the picked parsley, stirring off the heat, so the leaves turn bright green, but do not over cook.
13. Serve in a bowl and garnish with Pecorino Romano cheese.