"When the stars make you drool pasta fazul, that's amore"

Old Deano had the right idea!! In the US, they call this ‘pasta fazul', in Italy it's ‘pasta e fagioli'… no matter though; it's great wherever you eat it! A meal in itself, and what's more, this pasta and bean soup is so easy to make. What are you waiting for? Open a bottle of vino, invite some pals over and put on ‘That's amore' at full blast!

How to do it:

1) Melt the butter and olive oil in your largest saucepan on a low heat.

2) Add the garlic, onion and celery. Once softened, put in the bacon, allowing it to cook.

3) Then add 2 tins of borlotti beans, the tin of tomatoes, a little salt and generous grindings of pepper.

4) Fill the saucepan three quarters up with stock. Bring the soup up to the boil and then simmer it for about 45mins.

5) Carefully puree the soup and transfer it to your saucepan. You can now add the last tin of beans and about 1 ½ handfuls of pasta shapes. Bring to the boil again and let the soup simmer for 10/15 mins (or until the shapes are al dente).

Make sure you serve this soup with plenty of chopped parsely to garnish and loads of freshly grated parmesan cheese!

This is a great recipe. Very simple, but you can impress you pals with it! I have eaten this in Sicily, and also Rome. I ate so much of it, I had trouble blowing my sax on the gig!!

Fry the eggplant in plenty of olive oil. It will absorb lots of the oil, so don't be afraid to use more. You can also roast the eggplant in a tray in the oven. again with plenty of olive oil. To make a nice, rich tomato sauce. Fry the onions and garlic till they are transparent then add the crushed red pepper. Put in the chopped tomatoes, cook on a moderate heat for about 10 mins. Add the Basil, Parsley and Oregano. Turn sauce to simmer, and add your cooked Eggplant, inc some of the oil used to cook them. Cover the pot, simmer for about 25 mins on really low heat. Add salt to taste. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling, salted water. Keep checking the spaghetti, when it's al dente ( slightly undercooked), take it out and drain. You don't need to add olive oil to the cooking water. The Spaghetti will only be starchy, and stick if you over cook it. Toss the Pasta with the Sauce until well absorbed. Put plenty of grated cheese on, and enjoy!!! Oh, you don't have to use Spaghetti, Penne or some other type of pasta will do just as well.