Dangling the Bacon

Years ago, when my friend Jen and I were teaching second grade across the hall from each other, we often bounced teaching ideas off of each other. Once in a discussion about classroom management and rewards, she suggested, “Sometimes, you just have to change that bacon you’re dangling,” followed almost instantly by, “Nope. That’s not a thing, is it.” I knew exactly what she meant (offer a different reward), though I had previously only thought of dangling a metaphorical carrot, but when you think about it, why not bacon? Certainly, bacon is a much better motivator in our household than a carrot would be! This week’s Ben’s Day Wednesday meal contains both carrots and bacon, and we hope you find it as rewarding as we did.

Pasta e Fagioli

1 pound small white beans, dried

6 cups water

1 parmesan rind (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 sprig fresh rosemary 

1/2 pound bacon, chopped into half inch pieces

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 quart chicken broth or stock

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1/2 pound ditalini pasta

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Parsley, chopped

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 

Olive oil

1. Put dried beans in a large soup pot and add water, parmesan rind (if using), salt and rosemary. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until beans are tender, several hours. The package will be your best guide for length of cooking time as bean types vary. (Alternatively, they can be cooked in the crockpot.)
2. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until just crispy. Remove pan from heat and place bacon on paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon bacon grease in skillet.
3. Put onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor and pulse about 20 times for 1 second each time, until the vegetables are in very small pieces, but not pureed. 
4. Add vegetable mix to skillet and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove rosemary and parmesan rind from beans. Add vegetables, half of the bacon, chicken stock, and tomato sauce. Simmer about 20 minutes.
6. While soup is simmering, prepare pasta according to package directions. (You can reserve some of the water if you like a thinner soup and want to add it later.)
7. With a handheld blender, puree the soup as much or as little as you like. I prefer about half the beans to stay whole, while the others become part of the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. To serve, put a scoop of pasta into each individual bowl and ladle on the soup. Top with pepper, lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese, bacon, parsley, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

A huge thanks goes out to Phil who took the cooking reins on the day we were slated to make soup. I was sick, so Ben and Phil kept each other in check. Kind of.

As you know, “seizure” salad is Ben’s go to salad. If I want anything other than Caesar, I have to lay out my proposal well in advance of the meal. I chose this simple Italian salad as the perfect complement to our soup. Ben initially threw his support behind it, but seemed to find it rather vinegary by the end. Phil and I liked it enough to make it again the next day.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/tricolore-salad-12939320

Is there anything better than pasta and bean soup when autumn brings cooler air and shorter days? According to Ben, yes, the list of things that are better than pasta e fagioli is nearly infinite, but if you can dangle that bacon right, he just may go for it. 

As for Jen, her advice to change the bacon was spot on. (As you can imagine, I felt I had to tease her about her unique metaphor by dangling a picture of bacon from a yard stick in her classroom while she was teaching. Of course, it disrupted her class, but the kids were so used to our shenanigans that they didn’t really question it.) Having a teacher friend like Jen, who takes the time and energy to help you process and solve teaching challenges, is exactly what every teacher needs. Having a friend that will laugh with you when you’re dangling bacon in her classroom? Priceless.