Ribollita (Tuscan bean and vegetable soup)

Here’s a hearty soup recipe from a new collection of Tuscan recipes, simply called Tuscany (Phaidon). Ribollita literally means ‘re-boiled’ and is a method of using up stale bread and left over vegetables or beans as a soup. In some areas of Tuscany, ham fat and bacon rind are also added to the vegetables.
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About this Recipe

By: Sheridan Rogers

Here’s a hearty soup recipe from a new collection of Tuscan recipes, simply called Tuscany (Phaidon). Ribollita literally means ‘re-boiled’ and is a method of using up stale bread and left over vegetables or beans as a soup. In some areas of Tuscany, ham fat and bacon rind are also added to the vegetables.

Ingredients

  • dried cannellini beans 500g, soaked overnight in water to cover and drained
  • olive oil 3 tablespoons
  • onion 1, peeled and finely chopped
  • celery 1 stalk, sliced
  • carrots 2 -3, peeled and chopped
  • potatoes 2, peeled and diced
  • zucchini 1 -2 , sliced
  • Swiss chard 1 bunch, leaves only, washed and shredded
  • Savoy or summer cabbage 1, washed and shredded (or 1 bunch of cavolo nero)
  • flat leaf parsley 1/2 bunch, chopped
  • rustic loaf of bread 1, a day old, very thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper

Serve 4 – 6 Put the cannellini beans into a large pan, pour in water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in another large pan. Add the onion, celery, carrots, potatoes and zucchini and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Season with salt, add the Swiss chard and cabbage and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Cover the pan. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Press half the beans through a sieve into a bowl (or puree in a blender with a little of the cooking water), then stir the purée into the pan of vegetables. Add the reserved cooking liquid and simmer for 1 hour. Add the remaining whole beans and parsley and simmer for another 1 – 1½ hours. Remove the soup from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Make a layer of bread slices in a tureen and ladle some of the soup over it. Continue making alternate layers of bread and soup until all the ingredients have been used, then let stand until the bread is completely soaked. Serve immediately with a healthy drizzle of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.