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Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Tuscan Bean Soup with Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta

December 17, 2016 by Mary 6 Comments

Sfoglini pasta in a bag in MARY's secret ingredients winter 2016 subscription box.Tuscan cookbook.Tuscan Bean Soup with Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta is a recipe based on one from my Tuscan cookbook. I have been wanting to make this soup since the summer when I received the book from my friend Cristina while in Arezzo on that wonderful trip. This Tuscan Bean Soup with Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta is so comforting and this pasta is to die for.

Really.

It is made with Organic Durum Semolina flour and water. That’s it! And it is so delicious, really like homemade. My husband could eat this pasta every night so if the good folks at Sfoglini in Brooklyn, NY want to send me a case of this stuff, bring it on!

The pasta shape is Spaccatelli and is sometimes referred to as Strozzapreti or “priest collars.” It resembles a rolled-up scroll or towel, smooth and tight. Legend has it that the name refers to how annoyed Italian men became at seeing their wives labor over cooking extravagant meals for the local clergy. Ha! This two inch strand of tubular pasta is a great substitute for ziti or macaroni in any dish and is superb with a chunky meat sauce as the shape envelops the sauce into the curved folds.

Tuscan Bean Soup with Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta in a ladle over a pot.

Rather than a chunky sauce that you can make on your own, I opted to highlight this pasta in this luscious bean soup. Plan ahead as you have to soak the beans overnight before cooking, but this is well worth it. This soup is so Tuscan, so comforting, and so perfect on a cold winter night.

I suppose you could use drained and rinsed canned beans but cooking the real thing is so much better. And it’s not much effort. It’s just time. So give this a go!

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP WITH SFOGLINI SPACCATELLI PASTA – serves 8

8 oz. Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta
1 lb. dried cannellini beans
8 oz. of ripe or canned tomatoes, crushed
8 cups of vegetable stock
3 cloves of garlic and 1 clove of chopped garlic
1 onion, chopped
3 sage leaves
Chili pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Rinse and cover the beans with 3 inches of cold water and soak overnight. The next day, rinse, drain and cover with 1½ inches of fresh cold water. Add 3 wholes cloves of garlic and sage leaves and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 1.5 – 2 hours, partially covered, until very tender, making sure the beans are always covered with water. Add salt to taste when done.

Puree the beans in a blender with some of the water until you achieve a smooth puree.

In another saucepan, sauté the finely chopped onion and garlic in a little oil. Add the tomatoes and chili pepper flakes and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the bean puree and hot broth. Add salt to taste and bring to a simmer.

Fill a separate large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add coarse sea salt and the Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and add to the soup, stirring for 1 minute to combine and to let the pasta finish cooking. Taste the pasta to be sure it is done. It should be al dente.

Tuscan Bean Soup with Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta in a white bowl drizzled with olive oil.Ladle the soup in bowls, drizzle with olive oil and top with fresh ground pepper and serve with LOVE.

Enjoy!!!

Winter 2016 MARY's secret ingredients subscription box.There are a few boxes left with this special pasta and you can buy a winter subscription box here and receive all of the great products. Remember better pantries make better meals!

Additionally your purchase helps in our partnership with Feed The Children. No one should go hungry.

Filed Under: Dinner, First Course, Lunch, Soups Tagged With: bean soup, comforting soups, Sfoglini pasta, Sfoglini Spaccatelli Pasta, Tuscan soups, winter soups

2016 Winter Subscription Box Revealed

December 16, 2016 by Mary 2 Comments

Winter 2016 MARY's secret ingredients subscription box.The holidays are here and this MARY’s secret ingredients 2016 winter subscription box is the perfect festive gift! We’ve got delicious organic green mint tea (an awesome combination), and bright red lingonberry jam to make your toast (and many other things) festive! Then, the coolest looking cake slicer and server from Finland to cut and serve your cake oh so neat, the most potent and fragrant za’atar spice mix to add zip to anything, and RayZyns made of wine grapes, that are full of antioxidants. Eat these crunchy babies and they’ll keep you healthy all season long, and the MOST DELICIOUS pasta. Ever. Handmade in Brooklyn with just organic semolina flour and water, you will want to eat this everyday!!

When you cook with love and exciting new ingredients, your food will always taste better. So gather round the table, make some memories and spread some LOVE.

Take a look at the video our awesome team of designers put together!!

Felix Lingonberries jam jar.FELIX 

Felix jams has been bringing Swedish lingonberries to the American palate for over 50 years. As familiar as Volvo, IKEA, and Swedish meatballs, lingonberries were recommended on the Doctor Oz Show as a super fruit with antioxidant benefits. This small red berry has been picked and enjoyed since Viking times. Its piquant sweet and tart flavor makes it as unique as it is delicious.

Felix jams are made of simple ingredients: Handpicked wild Lingonberries, pure sugar and fresh water, in a time-tested recipe. Because many Swedes are accustomed to picking their own wild berries, an unusually high standard is required for jams to succeed in Sweden, and Felix is the number one choice.

HOME COOK’S PANTRY ZA’ATARHome Cooks Pantry za'atar.

Home Cook’s Pantry specializes in fresh, made-to-order spice blends. Each pure blend is customizable to your taste preferences, made without artificial colors, fillers, anti-caking agents or MSG. Experience a different culture at each meal with blends from around the world.

Za’atar is a  mix of herbs, sumac and sesame seed. It is an intensely aromatic ancient spice blend and condiment that is used to flavor everything from grilled meats to baked bread. It is also delicious when used  on roasted vegetables, sprinkled on salads, and it can also be steeped to make tea.


Magisso cake server with outer package.MAGISSO CAKE SERVER

Established in 2008 in Helsinki, Finland, Magisso has a burning passion to make meaningful design and international business. Over 20 design awards later they still thrive from that same passion. They are driven by a desire to solve problems and create beautiful designs.

With the fun and colorful Magisso Cake Server, cutting and serving your favorite cake is easier and more stylish than ever. All you need to do is press the cake server through a cake, squeeze it gently to lift the piece onto your plate. Release and get a perfect piece of cake upright on your plate.

Sfoglini pasta in a bag.SFOGLINI PASTA

In 2012, Sfoglini (Sfo-lee-nee) opened its doors  in Brooklyn, NY with one clear mission: to bring classic Italian style pasta back to New York City. They are dedicated to sourcing top quality American organic grains and using traditional Italian methods to bring you the same pasta served at some of New York’s most revered restaurants. Spaccatelli, also sometimes referred to as Strozzapreti “priest’s collars”, resembles a rolled-up scroll or towel, smooth and tight. It is superb with a chunky meat sauce that wraps into the curved folds.

Stash Merry Mint Organic Green tea.STASH TEA

Since 1972, Stash has been dedicated to providing premium quality teas. They begin with tea leaves from the world’s premier tea gardens and the finest herbs and spices gathered from around the globe. Their master blenders combine these botanical ingredients to create unique and delicious teas that are natural and free of artificial flavors and colors.

Organic Merry Mint Green Tea – A festive blend of organic green tea and lively spearmint and peppermint.

THE WINE RAYZYNS Co.RayZyn's CabernayZyn package.

Wine RayZyns are premium, specially dried Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Merlot wine grapes that are high in fiber and have more antioxidants than wine. Packed with nutrition, these dried wine grapes are deliciously sweet with a unique taste and texture that are true to each varietal.

The box contains two of the following flavors:

CabernayZyn™ – Dried Cabernet Wine Grapes – With this RayZyn product, enjoy bold, complex flavors like blackberry, fig, and currant.

ChardonayZyn™ – Dried Chardonnay Wine Grapes – Savor the crisp, rich taste with touches of apricot and toasted caramel with this delightful RayZyn snack.

MerlayZyn™ – Dried Merlot Wine Grapes – Experience this RayZyn product and enjoy velvety flavors with hints of raspberry and plum.

Start the New Year right. Eat healthy. Live Joyfully.

There are a few boxes left and you can buy a winter subscription box here and receive all of these great products! Look out for all of my recipes using these products in the coming days.  Better pantries make better meals!

Filed Under: Products for sale Tagged With: Felix Wild Natural Lingonberries, Home Cook's Pantry Za'atar, Magisso cake server, Mary's Secret Ingredients, RayZyn's, Sfoglini pasta, Stash tea organic green mint tea, subscription box

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Mary Frances

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