2 tbsp. chopped yellow onion
1/4 c. olive oil (slightly less if there is much fat on the pork you are using)
3 tbsp. chopped carrot
3 tbsp. chopped celery
3-4 pork ribs or a ham bone with some meat on them or 2 sm. pork chops
2/3 c. canned Italian tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
2 lb. fresh cranberry beans (unshelled weight) (see note)
3 c. homemade meat broth (approx.) or 1 c. canned beef broth mixed with 2 c. water (approx.)
Salt
Freshly ground pepper, about 6 twists of the mill
6 oz. sm. tubler macaroni
2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Put the onion in a stockpot with the oil and saute over medium heat until pale gold.

2. Add the carrot, celery and pork; saute for about 10 minutes, stirring the vegetables and turning the pork from time to time.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice, turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.

4. If you are using fresh cranberry beans, shell the beans, rinse them in cold water and add to the pot. Stir 2-3 times, then add the broth. Cover the pot, adjust the heat so that the liquid is bubbling at a very moderate boil, but at a bit more than a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beans are tender. (If you are using precooked beans, cook the tomatoes for 20 minutes instead of 10, as in Step 3, then add the drained beans. Let the beans cook in the tomatoes for 5 minutes, stirring thoroughly, then add the broth and bring to a moderate boil.)

5. Scoop up about 1/2 cup of beans and mash them through a food mill back into the pot.

6. Add salt and pepper. (If you are using canned broth, taste carefully for salt, because some canned bouillon can be very salty.)

7. Check the soup for density; add more homemade broth or water if needed, and bring the liquid to a steady boil. Add the pasta. If you are using fresh egg pasta, stop the cooking 1 minute after you've dropped it in. If you are using dried pasta or macaroni, taste for doneness and stop the cooking when the pasta is very firm to the bite. (The soup should rest for about 10 minutes before serving, so if you do not stop the cooking when the pasta is very firm it will be quite mushy by the time it gets to the table.) Just before serving, swirl in the grated cheese.

Note: Cranberry beans are pink and white marbled beans, and they add a wonderful flavor to this soup. If they are not available use 1 cup dried Great Northern beans, cooked or 1 (20 ounce) can white kidney beans or other white beans, drained.

The soup can be prepared entirely ahead of time up to, but not including, Step 7. Add the pasta only when you are going to serve the soup.