There are plenty of Italian soups that you could describe as being hearty, but probably none more so than fagioli con le cotiche. It is such a hearty soup that you could also consider it a stew. Traditionally, fagioli con le cotiche is a peasant dish, but that does not detract from its full flavour.
The two main ingredients of the popular Italian soup are pork rind and beans. Pork rind is not an ingredient you can typically pick up in UK supermarkets. However, you should be able to get hold of pork rind from a decent butcher. Alternatively, you can buy a pork joint, remove the rind, and use it for another meal.
At first glance, our fagioli con le cotiche recipe may seem complicated, with three separate ingredient lists. However, we have written the ingredients only to make it easier to understand the process and identify the necessary ingredients at each stage. It is actually a very simple soup to make. However, it is important to note that the preparation time does not include soaking the dried beans, which you must do the day before. Here is our tasty and easy soup recipe for fagioli con le cotiche.
Fagioli con le Cotiche Recipe: An Easy Italian Soup Recipe
Course: Soup RecipesCuisine: Italian, EuropeanDifficulty: Medium20
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Ingredients for Faioli Con le Cotiche
- Ingredients for the Beans
1 lb dried cannellini or borlotti beans (see additional tips for using canned)
2 garlic cloves
A small bunch of fresh parsley
Salt to taste
- Ingredients to Prepare the Pork Rind
12 oz./ 375g of pork rind
1 celery stick
A small white onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Ingredients for the Sauce
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato puree
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp. of olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- The night before you intend to eat the soup, you will need to soak the dried beans.
- On the day you prepare and plan to eat the soup, drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh water, and add the garlic and some parsley.
- Simmer the beans for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, until tender.
- While the beans are cooking, prepare the pork rind by covering it with water, bringing it to a boil on the hob, then simmering for 15 minutes.
- Remove the rind from the water, then leave to cool.
- Cut the rind into thin strips, then cover with water and add the chopped celery and one finely diced onion.
- Season the water with salt, then cook for approximately 60 minutes.
- While the pork rind and beans are cooking, prepare the sauce in another pan.
- Add the olive oil to the pan over medium heat on the hob, then add diced onion, garlic, and parsley. Season the sofrito (the sautéed garlic and onions) with salt and pepper.
- When the onions begin to soften, add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree to the pan.
- Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cooked pork rind, celery, and onions to the tomato mixture, along with the beans, and mix everything together.
- Simmer all the ingredients together for another 30 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
- Serve the fagioli con le cotiche hot with the bread of your choice or some crunchy croutons.
Additional Tips for Making the Fagioli con le Cotiche Recipe
- If you enjoy our fagioli con le cotiche recipe, you might also like our recipes for minestrone, zuppa imperiale, Italian wedding soup, pappa al pomodoro, zuppa di verze e patate, ribollita,and minestra d’orzo.
- You can save time by using canned beans, as they do not need to be soaked overnight.
- Adding a tablespoon of sugar to the soup will reduce the tomatoes’ acidity.
- If you are not a fan of parsley, you can omit the ingredient from the recipe.
- Try adding some dried oregano to the soup at the end to give it a more herbal flavour. Some recipes also include sage, which complements the pork flavours beautifully.