Creamy Spaghetti and Beans

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 pound chunk pancetta chopped into small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into a small dice
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 (15-ounce) can Roman beans or small white beans (recommended: Goya brand)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine, eyeball it
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• A generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Place the stock in a sauce pot and warm it over medium heat then reduce to simmer.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the pancetta to brown slightly. Next add the garlic and spaghetti and toast the noodles lightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions and carrots, bay and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Soften veggies a bit, 5 minutes. Add wine and allow it to be completely absorbed. Add beans then add a few ladles of stock and stir the pasta. Keep adding stock a few ladles at a time allowing liquids to be mostly absorbed before adding more, as if you were preparing a risotto. When liquids are absorbed and spaghetti is cooked to al dente, 12-15 minutes, stir in cheese. Adjust salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir another minute. Remove the bay and thyme stems. Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with lots of parsley.