Tuscan Ribollita

Tuscan ribollita packed with cannellini beans, kale, vegetables and day-old bread in a hearty tomato broth.

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Ribollita began as a practical way to turn vegetable soup and stale bread into another nourishing meal. Its best texture comes from letting the bread absorb the broth rather than serving it as a thin soup.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2 carrots (diced)
• 2 celery stalks (diced)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
• 800 g cannellini beans (2 cans drained and rinsed)
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 250 g Tuscan kale or cavolo nero (stems removed and sliced)
• 200 g savoy cabbage (shredded)
• 250 g day-old country bread (torn into chunks)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 0.5 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp fine salt (or to taste)
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• extra-virgin olive oil (to finish)

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook for 8–10 minutes until softened.
2. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and rosemary.
3. Add about two-thirds of the beans and all the stock. Mash the remaining beans with a fork and stir them in; this naturally thickens the broth.
4. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add the kale and cabbage and simmer for another 15–20 minutes until completely tender.
5. Remove the rosemary stem and taste for salt and pepper. The soup should be well seasoned because the bread will soften the flavour.
6. Add the torn bread and press it into the broth. Simmer very gently for 5 minutes, stirring carefully so some bread breaks down while some pieces remain visible.
7. Turn off the heat and rest for 10–15 minutes. The mixture should become thick enough to spoon rather than pour.
8. Serve warm with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and black pepper. Ribollita is even better reheated the next day with a splash of water or stock.