Souper Saturday

Rachael Ray sent me an e-mail recently with a recipe for Pasta e Fagioli. Okay, so she sent the e-mail out to hundreds of thousands of people. Alright, she probably didn't even send out the e-mail herself but I like to think that if she would just get to know me we would be very good friends.
In fact, when she was here at the Mall of America a while ago, I was so excited to meet her. I carted both of my Rachael Ray cookbooks (I've since gotten more) to the book signing just to find out that I needed a wrist band. By the time I made it there after work they had been out of them for six hours and the people who had them had been waiting in line since that morning. Oh, such a sad day. I was severely dejected and seriously trying not to cry as I climbed the floors trying to catch a glimpse of Rachael. I've gotten over it but it's not a proud memory.
Someday I will meet her but until then I just have to pretend that she sends me her recipes in a gesture of friendship.

Pasta e Fagioli with Sausage

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling 1 1/2 pounds sweet or hot bulk Italian sausage, or links, casings discarded 1 large carrot, finely chopped 2 to 3 ribs celery from the heart, finely chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs rosemary 3 to 4 sprigs thyme Salt and pepper One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth One 18-ounce can cannellini beans 1 cup ditalini pasta Grated pecorino-romano or parmigiano-reggiano cheese, for serving Crusty bread, for mopping

Directions

1. In a soup pot, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Crumble in the sausage and cook, stirring, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken broth, beans and 2 cups water, cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Stir in the ditalini, lower the heat and simmer until al dente. Discard the bay leaf and rosemary and thyme stems.
3. Serve the soup in bowls with a drizzle of EVOO and lots of cheese. Serve with bread for mopping.
Serves six.

This was really good for a cold winter night. We enjoyed it a lot and plan on making it again. Thanks Rach!