P
Italian · Molise
Tacconelle con Fagioli Borlotti Molisane
Tacconelle (flat, diamond-shaped egg pasta made from a very stiff durum semolina dough) cooked directly in the borlotti bean broth so they absorb the bean starch and the broth thickens to a dense, unctuous consistency. The dish is Molise's version of pasta e fagioli — coarser, more rustic and with the pasta integral to the dish rather than added separately.
I
The Market List
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For the tacconelle dough
300 g
durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata)
Origin · ItalyBosa Foods · Vancouver →
165 ml
water
cold; 55% hydration
Your own market
For the bean broth
400 g
dried borlotti beans
soaked overnight
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
onion
whole, peeled
Your own market
1
celery stalk
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
carrot
Your own market
1
pork rib
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To finish
80 g
guanciale
sliced, then fried and crumbled
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
Your own market
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II
The Method
1
Combine the semolina and cold water to a very stiff dough at 55% hydration. Work the dough until it is smooth and cohesive. Wrap and rest. The dough should feel firm and resist the thumb — soft dough disintegrates in the bean broth before cooking through.
2
Place the soaked borlotti beans in a large pot with the onion, celery, carrot and pork rib. Cover generously with cold water and bring to a simmer. Cook until the beans are just tender but still hold their shape. The broth will be lightly cloudy and faintly sweet on the nose.
3
Remove the pork rib. Set aside a ladleful of whole beans. Pass the remainder of the beans through a mouli back into the broth. Return the reserved whole beans to the pot. The broth should now be opaque, thick and a pale ochre colour.
4
Roll the rested dough to a thickness of roughly 2 mm and cut into flat diamond shapes — the tacconelle. Keep them on a lightly semolina-dusted surface. They should be firm, dry to the touch, and hold a clean edge.
5
Bring the bean broth to a steady simmer. Add the tacconelle directly into the broth — this is where the dish lives or dies: the pasta must cook in the bean broth, absorbing its starch and releasing its own, so that the two become a single dense, unctuous mass. Cook uncovered and stir frequently to prevent the starchy broth scorching on the base of the pot. The tacconelle will double in size as they absorb the broth.
6
Continue to cook, stirring, until the pasta is cooked through and the consistency has become thick and porridge-like — the dish should be spoonable, not soup. Draw a spoon across the surface: it should hold the furrow briefly before closing.
7
Fry the guanciale slices until the fat is rendered and the edges are crisp. Crumble over each serving bowl. Finish with a thread of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately, preferably in terracotta bowls.
From the canon — Guanciale (from 'guancia' — cheek) is the cured pig's jowl that is foundational to Roman cooking — the fat used in amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe's ric… Guanciale — Cured Pig's Cheek of Lazio and Abruzzo →
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Freshly podded borlotti beans in season, cooked the same day; guanciale from a named Molisan producer; stone-ground semola rimacinata.
02
Estate — Dried borlotti beans of a single named variety, soaked overnight; a good guanciale from a domestic charcutier; fine-grade durum semolina.
03
Market — Standard dried borlotti beans; commercially produced guanciale; widely available semola rimacinata.
04
House — Canned borlotti beans, drained and rinsed with water added back to approximate broth; pancetta in place of guanciale; plain semolina.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The raw dough resists the thumb firmly and does not spring back slowly — it holds the impression: 55% hydration confirmed.
◇Smell. The finished bean broth carries a faint natural sweetness from the borlotti with no raw, chalky note — beans are just tender.
◇Sight. The tacconelle have visibly doubled in size and the broth has tightened to a thick, opaque, porridge-like consistency that holds a spoon furrow briefly.
◇Sight. A spoon drawn across the surface of the finished dish closes slowly — the dish is spoonable, not pourable.
◇Where it lives or dies. The tacconelle must be added raw to the simmering bean broth and cooked there — pasta cooked separately and added to finished soup produces none of the starchy, unified thickness that defines the dish.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sparkling wine
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance