Pasta and beans with crispy peppers

Ingredients for 4 people

For cooking the beans
300 g borlotti beans
1 clove of garlic
salt to taste
fennel seeds

For the sauce
1 small glass of EVO oil
1 tablespoon of ground paprika
1 clove of garlic
water to taste

For the pasta
300 g cavatelli
water to taste
salt to taste

To complete the dish
2 dried peppers
extra virgin olive oil

Procedure

Rinse the beans under running water and place them in a high earthenware pan. Fill with water and bring to a boil.
With a spoon, remove the foam that rises to the surface, once finished, add a tablespoon of oil, the clove of garlic, and the fennel.
Once cooked, the beans should be tender but meaty; drain the beans, taking care to collect the cooking water in a bowl.

In a large skillet, sauté oil and garlic, add a tablespoon of paprika powder, being careful not to let it burn, let it thicken for a moment, and add the beans along with some of the cooking water. Mix well for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pot of lightly salted water, cook the cavatelli. Halfway through cooking, drain and pour into the skillet with the beans, continue cooking the cavatelli, adding more bean cooking water if necessary.

How to make crispy peppers
Clean the dried peppers with a cloth, remove the stem, and empty the seeds inside.
In a fryer (or a narrow and high pan) filled with olive oil at 140°, immerse the peppers for less than a minute on both sides and place them on absorbent paper. They should brown slightly, be careful not to burn them.

Serve the pasta slightly brothy on the plates and season with the crumbled crispy peppers on top.

Federico Valicenti