Tuscan Ribollita soup

Tuscan ribollita is a traditional Tuscan soup made with stale bread, vegetables, and cannellini beans.

Ribollita is a special Tuscan dish, a recipe that brings back tradition; it has been named the "Tuscan lean soup of the peasants". Ribollita originated in the Middle Ages and is still considered a symbol of Tuscan cuisine today. Where to eat ribollita and what are its ingredients. Ribollita soup is cooked in the cold season with stale Tuscan bread, cannellini beans, and black cabbage, resulting in a substantial and delicious dish that is served from Florence to Siena, passing through Pisa and Arezzo. Takes its name from the fact that the preparation used to last several days and had to be reheated each time. And each time, it became better.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 400 g black cabbage

• 300 g dried cannellini beans

• 200 g chard

• 2 celery ribs

• 2 small carrots

• 2 medium zucchini

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 onion

• tomato paste

• Stale Tuscan bread

• Laurel

• Rosemary

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Salt

• Black pepper

Preparation:

Step 1

For the Tuscan ribollita recipe, soak the cannellini beans the day before preparing the recipe, then boil them in plenty of salted boiling water with 1 bay leaf and 1 clove of garlic, until they are cooked al dente.

Step 2

Blend half of them with 1 ladle of cooking water and set aside the rest of the water.

Step 3

Clean the black cabbage, removing the fibrous central part; clean the other vegetables and cut them into pieces.

Step 4

Fry the carrots, celery, onion and courgettes with 3 tablespoons of oil for 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, dissolved in 1 ½ glasses of warm water, and the black cabbage; season with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes with the pan covered and on a low flame.

Step 5

Add the beans, both whole and blended, and the cleaned and chopped chard and cook for another 25 minutes with the pan covered, adding a few ladles of the bean cooking water if necessary.

Step 6

Break up 3 slices of bread, add them to the soup and cook for another 5 minutes.

Step 7

Prepare a flavored oil, heating 6 tablespoons in a saucepan, with 2 sprigs of rosemary and 1 peeled and crushed garlic clove, until it begins to fry. Turn off, leave to infuse for 10 minutes, then filter.

Step 8

Divide the soup into plates, with half a slice of bread for each; drizzle with flavoured oil, a sprinkling of pepper and serve.

Wine

We would enjoy this recipe with a Red wine from Tuscany, a Chianti Classico.

Enjoy!

Mic

Tuscan Ribollita Soup