Serves 4
It is recommended to cook the beans in a pressure pot. Fill the po pot until it reaches the level indicator. Add a small handful of the kosher salt.
Cook on the highest flame; when the pressure pot whistles, lower the flame to the minimum, and cook for 40 minutes. Puree the beans with a vegetable mill or hand blender, and pour into a large pot. Bring to a boil, and add the onion (pierced with the cloves) and approx. 1 liter of water. When the water reaches a boil, add the pasta; remove from the the heat; stir periodically so that the pasta does not stick. The pasta and beans can be served hot or warm. A nice addition is Treviso red radicchio, chopped into pieces. The bitter flavor aids liver and kidney function during digestion. Or it is possible to add a tablespoon of trippe alla parmigiana, which increases the protein content of the dish.
Finally, drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the finished dish— as should be done with all the dishes. Then sprinkle some pepper over the dish, as pepper stimulates digestive secretion. To finish the plate, add a pinch of Franco’s “magic powder” (as used at the Osteria Madonetta): dried sage, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram.
