Pasta e Fagioli
WHEN I WAS a kid, my family always celebrated milestone moments or special occasions with dinner at Il Villaggio. This Italian American restaurant, which was discreetly tucked into a northern New Jersey strip mall, might not have been well-known beyond my hometown, but its rendition of (or as we called it, “pasta fazool”) made me swoon. It was deeply but gently savory, thick and hearty, and studded with creamy beans and soft little pieces of pasta—so good that I used to order
