I’m not originally from Trenton. But in my years of being around town I have had my share of Trenton holiday meals — everything from Polish to Jewish and soul food to traditional goose dinners.
Yet the late Agnes Smoliga’s Christmas Eve pasta fagioli — aka pasta and bean soup — remains a gastronomic standout.
Agnes was in her 80s at the time and had honed her cooking skills in two tough training grounds. One was her stove on Genesee Street, where she fed her late husband and son, my friend Mike, a guy with strong — and very Trenton — opinions about food preparation.
The other was her waitressing in the bygone world of Trenton’s fabled eateries, when great taste was expected from even the lowly places. Her resume included David’s Luncheonette and Jakes Dinette on South Broad, the downtown Woolworths lunch counter, and even cafeteria work in the Trenton Public Schools. If she summarized her career as “Fed Trenton,” it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
And while Agnes was a fixture at St. Mary Assumption Byzantine Catholic Church and had a Slovak last name, she was all Italian, and — in addition to the maiden name Terramani —“Aggie” had the big heart, big smile, and big cooking pot to prove it.
Now back to the soup. When it appeared as part of a series of courses that Christmas Eve at her son’s home, I knew the food would be up to a standard. But after I casually put the first steaming spoonful in my mouth — Madone!
By this time I’ve been in Trenton for decades and had consumed gallons of pasta fagioli from some of the city’s best — Greco’s, La Gondola, the original Marsillios — as well as popular stops like the Casino. But this was different. There was a gentle and comforting release of flavors, solid yet not crunchy vegetables and pasta, liquid-y but not watery broth, and a mellowness made bright by space that added up to the internal equivalent of a warm hug.
When I exclaimed how good it was, Aggie waved me away, smiled, and said she’d get me the recipe.
I got it a few weeks later and was surprised. The standout had no secrets or exotic spices or vegetables. In fact the ingredients were as close as the pantry, and her approach as simple as one-two-three.
Agnes died in 2012 at age 94. Yet her soup lives on as a holiday memory, and the recipe she gave me is still ready to be stirred up. So I present it here, knowing that Aggie would be happy to share it — just as she shared it with me one Christmas Eve — and even more happy to serve up another meal for the Trenton community.
But take note, there was a secret ingredient: She loved to cook and made sure it showed in the tasting.
Ingredients: 1+ cup chopped onions; 1+ cup sliced celery; 1 cup sliced carrots; 2-3 cloves chopped garlic; 1 large can Cannellini or soak 2-3 cups of hard beans overnight; 1 can tomato soup; 1 can tomato sauce (small) or spaghetti sauce (as red as you like); 1+ cup elbow macaroni (or any pasta); 2 bouillon cubes.
Instructions: Saute first four vegetables in oil, margarine, or bacon fat then add beans, soup, and tomato sauce and stir; simmer several hours until thick, stirring occasionally; cook noodles in salted water, then drain most of water after noodles are cooked, and add to the tomato and vegetable mixture; taste — if needed add bouillon or salt; you can add sliced cooked sausage, ham, or bacon; stir well and heat together.
Tip: Freezes well. And, oh, don’t forget the love.
Editor’s note: If anyone has a story and holiday recipe to share or knows of a fabled Trenton cook with a holiday recipe, please contact daubrey@mercerspace.com.
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