The rich, tomatoey flavor. The hearty comfort of cannellini beans, diced pancetta, and grated parmesan cheese. The savory texture of ditaliniย mixed with those beans. The luscious “hmmmm” in every spoonful.
Is there a more perfect cold-weather soup than Pasta Fazool?
I experienced a culinary epiphany the first time I tasted the Neapolitan classic. It was Roberto’s, the Italian Ristorante my father owned, where I worked weekends waiting tables. Was it a staff meal or me being adventurous? I don’t remember.
What I do recall is the scales of mere meat-and-potatoes falling from my eyes. I had a disney theme-park of cuisine that was part of my heritage. & my father (God rest his soul) was a self-trained gourmet chef, proprietor of one of our county’s most popular Italian places.
O, you Neapolitan glory, you comfort food’s comfort food! Oh, you warming-the-heart-through-the-stomach soup above all other soups! Oh, Pasta Fazool!
Think I need another bowl of some, and soon!
Declining light
as another cold front
rolls in
the aromas and tastes
of long-ago delights
Merril hosts dVerse today, for Poetics: Time forย Soup!
The pub is open! Come join us!
Frank J. Tassone 
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