Ribollita

Name: Ribollita
Prep time: 780 min
Cook time: 185 min
Total time: 965 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Tuscan
Ingredients: 400 g dried cannellini beans (soaked overnight); 2 l water (for cooking the beans); 1 sprig fresh sage; 4 cloves garlic (2 whole for the beans, 2 finely chopped for the soffritto); 100 ml extra virgin olive oil (5 tablespoons for the soffritto, the rest stirred in at the reboil); 1 whole red onion (finely chopped); 2 whole carrots (finely chopped); 2 stalks celery (finely chopped); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 300 g cavolo nero (stems removed, leaves shredded); 300 g savoy cabbage (shredded); 200 g swiss chard (chopped); 2 whole potatoes (peeled and diced); 2 sprigs fresh thyme; 300 g stale Tuscan bread (unsalted pane toscano, two or three days old, thinly sliced); salt (to taste); black pepper (to taste, freshly ground); extra virgin olive oil for serving (to taste)

Serves 6 · 965 min · Tuscan

Ingredients

400 g dried cannellini beans
2 L water
1 sprig fresh sage
4 cloves garlic
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
2 tbsp tomato paste
300 g cavolo nero
300 g savoy cabbage
200 g swiss chard
2 potatoes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
300 g stale Tuscan bread
to taste salt
to taste black pepper
to taste extra virgin olive oil for serving

Method

01
Soak the beans Put the dried cannellini beans in a large bowl, cover them with plenty of cold water, and leave them to soak overnight.
02
Cook the beans Drain the beans, put them in a large pot with two litres of fresh water, the sage and two whole garlic cloves, and simmer very gently for about one and a half hours until completely tender, adding a little salt only at the end.
03
Puree half the beans Lift out half of the cooked beans and blend them with a ladle of their cooking liquid until smooth, keeping the rest of the beans and all the remaining liquid aside.
04
Cook the soffritto Heat five tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy soup pot over low heat and gently cook the onion, carrot, celery and chopped garlic for about fifteen minutes until soft and sweet but not browned.
05
Add the tomato Stir in the tomato paste and cook it with the vegetables for two minutes.
06
Wilt the greens Add the cavolo nero, savoy cabbage, chard, potatoes and thyme, stir well, and let the greens wilt down for about ten minutes.
07
Simmer the soup Pour in the bean puree and the remaining bean cooking liquid, then simmer partly covered for about forty minutes, stirring now and then.
08
Add the whole beans Stir in the whole beans, season with salt and black pepper, and simmer for ten more minutes.
09
Layer with bread Take the pot off the heat, press the slices of stale bread into the soup in layers until they are soaked, and leave it to rest for at least thirty minutes.
10
Reboil the soup Set the pot back over low heat, stir in the rest of the olive oil, and bring it back to a gentle bubble for about fifteen minutes, stirring often, until the bread has broken down and the soup is very thick.
11
Serve with oil Ladle the ribollita into warm bowls, drizzle each one with raw extra virgin olive oil, and finish with a grind of black pepper.

Method

Soak the beans

Put the dried cannellini beans in a large bowl, cover them with plenty of cold water, and leave them to soak overnight.

Soak the beans · 720 min

Cook the beans

Drain the beans, put them in a large pot with two litres of fresh water, the sage and two whole garlic cloves, and simmer very gently for about one and a half hours until completely tender, adding a little salt only at the end.

Keep the water at a lazy simmer, not a rolling boil, or the skins will split and the beans turn mealy.

Cook the beans · 90 min

Puree half the beans

Lift out half of the cooked beans and blend them with a ladle of their cooking liquid until smooth, keeping the rest of the beans and all the remaining liquid aside.

A food mill gives the traditional texture and removes the skins, but a blender works fine.

Cook the soffritto

Heat five tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy soup pot over low heat and gently cook the onion, carrot, celery and chopped garlic for about fifteen minutes until soft and sweet but not browned.

Cook the soffritto · 15 min

Add the tomato

Stir in the tomato paste and cook it with the vegetables for two minutes.

Add the tomato · 2 min

Wilt the greens

Add the cavolo nero, savoy cabbage, chard, potatoes and thyme, stir well, and let the greens wilt down for about ten minutes.

If cavolo nero is hard to find, use curly kale, though the flavour will be less deep.

Wilt the greens · 10 min

Simmer the soup

Pour in the bean puree and the remaining bean cooking liquid, then simmer partly covered for about forty minutes, stirring now and then.

Add a little hot water if it catches on the bottom; the soup should be thick but still liquid at this stage.

Simmer the soup · 40 min

Add the whole beans

Stir in the whole beans, season with salt and black pepper, and simmer for ten more minutes.

Add the whole beans · 10 min

Layer with bread

Take the pot off the heat, press the slices of stale bread into the soup in layers until they are soaked, and leave it to rest for at least thirty minutes.

Traditionally the soup rests overnight and is reboiled the next day, which gives the best texture. Fresh bread turns gluey, so use bread that is really dry.

Layer with bread · 30 min

Reboil the soup

Set the pot back over low heat, stir in the rest of the olive oil, and bring it back to a gentle bubble for about fifteen minutes, stirring often, until the bread has broken down and the soup is very thick.

Reboil the soup · 15 min

Serve with oil

Ladle the ribollita into warm bowls, drizzle each one with raw extra virgin olive oil, and finish with a grind of black pepper.

Ribollita

Ingredients

Method

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