Pasta Fagiole A La Gino

1. 1

   Re-hydrate one cup of dried white beans; soak overnight; changing the water several times. Reconsitiute a cup of dried shitake mushrooms; squeeze out the excess fluid (save to be added to soup) and dice the mushrooms

2. 2

   Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil; once heated

3. 3

   saute one large diced preferrably sweet white onion; three cloves of diced garlicchopped celery; diced cauliflower.

4. 4

   Add six cups of commercial vegetable broth and five cups of water. Add the re-hydrated beans and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer

5. 5

   Add a teaspoon-and-a-half of crushed Rosemary. Add the remaining water that was squeezed out of the mushrooms; add the diced mushrooms to the soup - allow to simmer for approx 2 hours or until the beans are soft. Add 1/2 cup of small sized TVP (The Vegetable Protein) in the last few minutes.

6. 6

   When soup is cooked bring the entire mixture to boil; add one cup of small sized pasta (shells etc) cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente (resistant to the tooth). Sprinkle Parmesan slivers and enjoy

No additional tips available.