Zuppa Di Fagioli with Calamari and Chilli Oil

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

250g dry borlotti beans (soak in water overnight)

1 small brown onion

1 carrot

1 stick celery

50g chillies

150ml olive oil

4 cloves garlic

3 medium potatoes, or 2 large potatoes

100g pancetta, diced

100ml white wine

2 bay leaves

2 large Southern calamari

Few sprigs of thyme and rosemary + some rosemary for garnish

Salt and pepper

Method

Dice the carrots, onion, celery, 1 clove of garlic, potatoes and pancetta in small cubes.

Gently sweat the vegetables + pancetta in a casserole with some olive oil, add the (drained) borlotti beans and cook for a few minutes. Add the white wine and let evaporate, now cover with water, add the bay leaves and cook on a gentle heat for about 60 minutes. The soup should slightly thicken during the cooking process.

In the meantime, place the 150ml olive oil, chilli, 1 clove garlic, some thyme and rosemary in a small pot over gentle heat to infuse.

Cut open the calamari body to obtain a flat layer. On the inside of the calamari body, make some light, diagonal cuts going in one direction. Turn them around and make the same cut crosswise to obtain a diamond shape. Very important – do not cut all the way through the calamari meat, it should be just an incision. Now cut them in pieces of about 2 inches per side. This cutting technique will allow the calamari to curl up when you cook them. For the heads, separate each tentacle and cut them about 1 inch in length.

The soup will be ready when the beans are soft.

Season the calamari with salt and pepper and grill them for a few minutes.

Place the soup in a bowl, add the calamari on the top and finish with a generous drizzle of chilly oil.

Garnish with some fried rosemary sprigs.