2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup chopped onions
2 leeks, sliced
2 cups peeled diced potatoes
2 cups shredded spinach
2 quarts water
3 cups cooked or canned kidney beans
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups macaroni

Heat the oil in a saucepan; cook the carrots, onions, leeks, potatoes and spinach in it 5 minutes.

Add the water, beans, salt and pepper; bring t a boil and cook over low heat 1 hour.

In an electric blender, puree the parsley, basil, garlic and bacon, or pound ingredients to a paste with a mortar and pestle.

Add to the soup with the macaroni.

Cook 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Sere with grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese.

The recipe in this entry was taken from "The Pleasures of Italian Cooking" by Romeo Salta, with an Introduction by Myra Waldo, photographs by Roberto Caramico, assisted by John Ciofalo. The book was published in New York by The MacMillan Company in 1962. For the complete copyright-free cook book visit www.archive.org... Image --Annibale Carrache: Eater of Haricot beans, 16th century.

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