Minestra

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 1  carrots chopped
• 0.5 cup celery chopped
• 8 ounces extra wide egg noodles cooked
• 16 ounce cranberry beans dried
• 4  garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 large onion minced
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper dried red crushed
• 8 servings romano cheese grated
• 1.5 teaspoons salt 
• 0.3 pound salt pork minced
• 3 quarts water 

Equipment

• blender
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Place beans in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water 2 inches above beans; soak 8 hours.
2. Drain.
3. Saut salt pork, garlic, and salt in hot oil in Dutch oven until fat is cooked from pork.
4. Add chopped celery, carrot, and onion, and saut 4 to 5 minutes or until tender.
5. Add beans and 3 quarts water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour and 30 minutes or until tender, adding hot water as needed to keep beans covered with liquid. Stir in peppers.
6. Process half of cooked beans in batches in a blender until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides; return to Dutch oven.
7. Add pasta, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated.
8. Serve with cheese.