Pasta e fagioli (Bean and pasta soup)

Pasta and beans, pasta and chickpeas, pasta and lentils: the Italian cucina povera has always had a particular focus on those well-balanced, filling one-pot dishes made with simple, pantry ingredients that, when put together, give more than the sum of their parts. Of the many pasta and pulse dishes in the Italian culinary tradition, something that unites the whole peninsula, from North to South, pasta e fagioli, the comforting bean and pasta soup, is perhaps my favourite. It is as basic in its preparation and ingredient list as it is rich and complex in its taste. A classic battuto, made of minced carrots, celery and onion, to begin, often enriched with a few pieces of pancetta – or even leftover ham rind to disguise the poverty of the dish -, then cannellini beans, or a local variety such as zolfini, a good pasta and a spoonful of tomato paste to give flavour and colour. Finish with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper.