Veneto — Venice and the lagoon towns, widespread throughout the Veneto countryside
Venetian pasta e fagioli uses Borlotti beans (fresh or dried) cooked to partial breakdown, combined with short pasta (typically ditalini or broken tagliatelle) in a broth that is both creamy from blended beans and chunky from whole beans. The Venetian version differs from the Roman or Neapolitan in its use of a rosemary-pancetta soffritto and the addition of a pork rind (cotenna) during bean cooking for gelatin and body. The consistency is 'né troppo densa né troppo liquida' (neither too thick nor too liquid) — a benchmark described in almost every Venetian recipe source.
Deeply savoury, starchy-creamy with the earthy sweetness of Borlotti; the rosemary perfumes but does not dominate; the pork fat from pancetta and cotenna gives the broth an unctuous body unlike any other version of this dish
{"Cook dried Borlotti overnight-soaked; or use fresh Borlotti in season — tinned beans produce an inferior result","Blend one-third of the cooked beans and return to the pot — this creates the characteristic creamy-chunky dual texture","Add pasta directly to the bean broth and cook in the liquid — the pasta starch thickens the broth further","The rosemary must be added early (during soffritto) and removed before serving — extended cooking makes rosemary bitter and harsh","Adjust consistency with additional hot bean cooking water — never cold water, which shocks the starch and breaks the emulsion"}
{"For a Venetian-specific variation, a splash of dry white wine (Soave or Pinot Grigio) added to the soffritto before the beans is traditional","Drizzle raw Venetian DOP olive oil (lighter than Tuscan) over each bowl before serving — never add olive oil during cooking","A few leaves of fresh sage added with the rosemary and removed at the same time deepens the herbal complexity","Leftover pasta e fagioli from the next day ('riposata') is considered by many Venetians to be better than fresh"}
{"Blending all beans — creates a soup, not a pasta e fagioli; the whole beans provide textural interest","Cooking pasta separately and adding — the pasta starch enriches the broth; separate cooking wastes this","Serving immediately — pasta e fagioli thickens dramatically as it rests; serve within 10 minutes of removing from heat","Skipping the cotenna — it contributes the gelatin that gives the soup its body and lip-coating quality"}
La Cucina Veneziana (Emilio Lavit de Crouy)