What fun on the CT Style set today with Teresa Dufour and Scott McDonnell making an Italian family favorite, Pasta Fagioli! Plus, it was our beloved producer, Joyce Ogirri’s birthday, so I made her a celebratory key lime pie.  After the live segment we had a cheerful get together eating and catching up, my favorite part! It was so nice to have Gil joining in on the festivities too.

Pasta Fagioli is a traditional Italian soup where the recipe differs from family to family and region to region, gourmet couldn’t get any easier. My favorite part of the soup is dunking the crusty Italian bread…mmmm!

This Key Lime Pie is super easy in effort and time, you just can’t go wrong here! I forgot how much I love this dessert, it’s back to being one of my favorites. You can view the recipe below.

In addition to all the cooking segment excitement,  Mark Deaton from Madison Lyrics Stage Company was there talking about his up and coming show, Hansel & Gretel! This is one of the most engaging venues I have ever been to. It’s an immersive opera that takes place at the Deacon John Grave House right here in Madison, CT. We are so fortunate to have such a display of talent in our own back yard. You should really check this out and seats are limited so don’t wait to purchase your tickets!

Here are some other comforts food you may want to try like my Turkey Chili, Pulled Pork While You Sleep, Homemade Baked Beans, or Ricotta Gnocchi! …Enjoy

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS For Pasta Fagioli:

• 2 cans cannellini beans
• 1/2 -3/4 cup ditalini pasta ( 1/2 if you want it looser soup-like consistency …remember it just keeps getting thicker even after you take it off the stove as the liquid evaporates)
• 1 qt. (4 cups) chicken stock
• 1 cup white wine-pinot grigio or what ever you are drinking -(1/2 to deglaze pancetta and veggies and 1/2 when you add stock
• 1/3 cup each diced carrots, celery and onion
• 3 tbsp garlic put thru a garlic press
• 2 cups whole peeled tomatoes with some juice, broken up with your hands – NOTE: USE 3 cups if you are not using a cup of “leftover pork & sauce”
• 1 cup pork in tomato sauce OR 1 lb. sausage taken out of the casing ready to sauté OR omit all together
• 2 1/4″ sliced of pancetta diced up or bacon
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 2 of fresh thyme tied in up with string
• Fresh basil -julienne to add at the end
• grated Reggiano Parmigiano and some to shave for decoration
• good olive oil to drizzle at the end
• 1/2 tsp salt -add 1/4 tsp at the addition of sauteing veggies and 1/4 tsp when you add beans and broth
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes if you like a pinch of HEAT

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add diced pancetta to a large pan and begin to sauté for 8 minutes on med heat
2. Add in broken up sausage to brown with the pancetta If you do not have “pork in sauce”
3. On med/low heat add diced carrots, onion, celery and garlic with 1/4 tsp salt (along with 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes if you want a little heat) to the same pot with 1 tbsp olive oil extra – sauté til veggies are tender 10 minutes
4. De-glaze with 1/2 cup white wine and simmer 5 minutes
5. Add in beans, pork-sauce, whole peeled tomatoes, herb bouquet, chicken stock, 1/4 salt, 1/4 pepper and simmer for 30 minutes
6. Remove herb bouquet from soup
7. Take 4-5 ladles of beans out of the soup to puree for a little creamier then adding back in
8. Simmer 5 minutes and add in 1/2 cup ditalini pasta
9. Cook til pasta is cooked – approx 7 minutes
10. Plate up and drizzle olive oil, sprinkle parmigiano cheese and fresh basil and mangia mangia!

Ingredients for Key Lime Pie:

-Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:

• 11 graham crackers
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp melted butter

-Directions for Crust:

1. Put graham crackers into food processor and pulse til a fine crumb
2. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl, add sugar and melted butter and stir until well combined
3. Press crumbs into a 9″ deep dish pie plate going up the sides as well
4. Bake on 350 for 10 minutes, take out and let cool

-Filling Ingredients:

• 1 cup lime juice (you’ll need about 25 key limes or 20 key limes and 3 regular limes OR 8 regular limes
• 2 14 oz. cans of condensed milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 heaping tsp lime zest
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream and 2 tbsp sugar for topping

-Directions for Filling:

1. Beat egg yolks with condensed milk for 5 minutes til pale and thickened on med/high
2. The briefly beat in lime juice and lime zest on low speed so as not to splatter
3. Pour into pre-baked and cooled graham cracker crust and bake 20 minutes
4. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 2 days
5. Whisk heavy cream with 2 tbsp sugar until stiff peaks and pipe onto refrigerated-cooled pie, garnish with a little lime zest