ETHNIC COOKING : Pasta and Beans

Paul Gillette, best known as the author of the novels “Play Misty for Me” and “Carmela,” is an ardent cook. Currently president of Calhoun/Gillette/Hamilton, a production company that specializes in home and industrial videos, Gillette is so dedicated to food and wine that he maintains a kitchen in his office in Los Angeles. He also produces, directs and sometimes acts in plays, and he publishes and edits two trade newsletters, The Wine Investor and California Beverage Hotline.

One of his favorite dishes is Pasta e Fagioli Alla Calabrese. This earthy combination of pasta, beans and tomato sauce is also a household staple in the Southern Italian region of Calabria, where both of Gillette’s parents were raised.

There, it’s a means of using up odds and ends of pasta and any fresh foods that have not been consumed by the weekend trip to market.

This recipe is Gillette’s mother’s version, and he insists that you prepare it correctly.

That means cooking the pasta to authentic firm Italian al dente texture. Drain the pasta while it still seems too hard, he instructs. It will then continue to cook until cool. Gillette tosses a variety of shapes--curly, bite-size, straight, wide and narrow--into the pot. He adds sauce sparingly because this is what Italians call pasta asciutta (dry pasta). The dish is meatless, but Gillette says bacon or chunks of beef or pork can be added. To spark up the flavor, he suggests sprinkling on cheese, olive oil and crushed red pepper at the table.

Often, Gillette will serve the dish to company, adding a first course of carpaccio or prosciutto with melon and a salad. For the wine, he would choose an “uncomplicated, inexpensive Italian red” such as a Valpolicello, Bardolino, a simple Chianti or Nebbiolo.

PASTA E FAGIOLI ALLA CALABRESE

4 quarts water

2 pounds assorted pasta, such as rigatoni, penne, farfalla or coniglietti and broken strands of fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti and other long pastas

Tomato Sauce

Cooked Lima Beans

Grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese

Olive oil

Crushed hot red pepper

Bring water to boil in large pot. Add pasta, denser types first, and cook until densest pasta is firm but tender. Drain well.

Combine pasta, Tomato Sauce and Cooked Lima Beans. Toss and serve. Add cheese, olive oil and/or crushed red pepper to taste to each serving. Makes 8 large servings.

Each serving contains about:

291 calories; 435 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 1.79 grams fiber; 25% calories from fat.

Tomato Sauce

3 pounds plum tomatoes, unpeeled, or 1 (16-ounce) can peeled tomatoes, pureed

1 small green pepper, diced

2 large onions, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 6 fresh leaves or to taste

1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

If using fresh tomatoes, put half through sieve. Dice remainder. Combine tomatoes, green pepper, onions, olive oil, oregano, basil, mushrooms, salt and pepper in large pot. Bring to boil. Immediately lower heat, cover and simmer 1 hour, tasting every 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Cooked Lima Beans

1/2 pound dried large lima beans

1 stalk celery, cut into large chunks

1 large carrot, cut into large chunks

1 large onion, diced

1/4 teaspoon dried basil or 3 leaves fresh, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano or to taste

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soak beans in water to cover overnight. Drain, then add 6 cups fresh water, celery, carrot, onion, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, cover loosely and simmer until beans are tender but still firm, 1 to 2 hours. Remove beans and vegetables with slotted spoon. Set aside, reserving broth for soup.

Note: Ingredients may be doubled. Use half beans and vegetables for pasta e fagioli. Serve remainder with broth as soup.