Pasta and Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups Randall Great Northern Beans
• 2 slices lean and fat prosciutto, cubed
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and halved
• 1 medium onion, peeled and halved
• 1/2 cup packed celery leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 peeled plum tomatoes, canned or fresh, mashed
• 6 drops Tabasco sauce
• 6 cups hot water
• 3 to 4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups small macaroni
• 2 white inner celery stalks, cut in 1/8-inch pieces
• 2 small tender carrots, cut like the celery
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Sauté the minced prosciutto, garlic, onion, and celery leaves in oil until limp. Add the tomatoes and Tabasco, and cook until the mixture has blended completely and looks like a sauce.
2. Add the hot water and bring to a boil; add 3 teaspoons of the salt and the pasta, celery stalks, and carrots; and cook about 9 minutes. Add the Randall Beans and the liquid to the soup pot. Continue cooking another 3 to 4 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
3. Taste for salt, and add the last teaspoonful if you please. Serve your pasta and bean soup at room temperature or hot, with grated Parmesan cheese.