Ingredients
- 6 pancetta
- 1,400 ml chicken stock
- 500 gr kidney beans (dried white)
- 210 gr ditalini
- 120 gr onion (finely chopped red)
- 100 gr celery (finely chopped)
- 60 ml olive oil
- 6 gr salt
- 3 gr pepper
- 3 gr parsley (minced)
- 2 gr sage (minced fresh)
- 1 gr sage (dried)
- 4 packages cannellini beans
Freshly grated Romano cheese -=OR=Parmigiano cheese IF USING DRIED BEANS, soak overnight in 5 cups of water. Drain beans and place in a large pot. Add 10 cups cold water, cover and bring to a boil. Simmer beans and cook until tender, about 1 hour. In an 8 litre pot, saute the pancetta in olive oil until soft. Add onion and celery and saute, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add sage, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken stock, cover and bring to a boil. Drain the beans, add to soup, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Cook pasta in 4 litre boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt until al dente. Drain and add to soup. Stir in minced parsley before serving and sprinkle with grated cheese.