Pasta E Calypso Fagioli

Ingredients

2 cups Calypso beans (or any other Belden Barns bean)

6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 small yellow onions, finely chopped

4 oz. pancetta, cut crosswise into 1⁄4-inch pieces

1⁄4 tsp. crushed red chile flakes

4 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 oz. orecchiette pasta

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving

1⁄4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a 4-quart. saucepan, combine the beans with 6 cups water and bring to a boil. Keep at a boil for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook the beans until tender (about 1-2 hours). Drain the beans and reserve 1 cup of their cooking liquid.

Rinse and wipe out the pan and return to medium heat. Heat olive oil, add onions, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

Stir in pancetta, chile flakes, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until pancetta is just cooked but not crisp, about 5 min.

Gently stir in the beans and their cooking liquid and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pan of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and reserve 1⁄2 cup pasta water.

Stir the pasta and 1⁄4 cup pasta water into the beans and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add remaining pasta water if needed to make a creamy sauce.

Stir in pecorino, parsley, and rosemary. Serve with more pecorino on the side.

Recipe from Saveur