Known and enjoyed in all its variations, ribollita is a traditional rural Tuscan dish, also known in its home region as “zuppa toscana di magro dei contadini” (or peasants’ lean Tuscan soup).
The forefather of this dish is a soup of leftovers, we have proof of it dating back to medieval times, made with stale bread and typical autumnal vegetables, mixed together to make a delicious dish. This version is the original one.
Ingredients for 4 people
Dry cannellini beans, 300 g
Swiss chard, 250 g
Lacinato kale, 250 g
Savoy cabbage, 200 g
Peeled tomatoes, 150 g
Yellow potatoes, 100 g
Celery, 80 g
Onions, 50 g
Carrots, 50 g
Dry Tuscan bread, 3-4 slices (about 200 g)
Rosemary, 1 sprig
Garlic, 2 cloves
Water, 2 litres
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Fine salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Thyme, to taste
Preparation
Leave the beans to soak for 12-24 hours. Once this time is up, drain them, rinse them and then cook them. Heat up a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary, add the beans, pour in 2 litres of water and cook over a low heat for an hour. Remove the rosemary, add some salt and pepper, take about half the beans (you’ll use them later) and, without draining the rest, blend them with a hand-held blender to make a broth to cook the vegetables.
Meanwhile, fry some extra virgin olive oil and the roughly chopped onions and celery, as well as the carrots cut into cubes or round slices. While you’re sweating the fried vegetables, wash the potatoes, peel them and dice them, then add them to the fried vegetables and keep cooking over a moderate heat. Squash the peeled tomatoes in a deep dish using a fork, then add them to the fried vegetables and keep cooking.
In the meantime, focus on the other vegetables. Wash the savoy cabbage, removing the harder central part, and cut it finely. Wash the beetroot and kale and cut them into medium-sized pieces. Add everything to the soup. Pour in the pre-made bean broth until it fully covers the vegetables, stir it, cover it with a lid and keep cooking over a gentle heat for about 2 hours from when it starts to boil again. Once cooked, add the beans you kept to one side, season with salt and pepper and turn off the hob.
Toast the slices of bread – if you don’t have Tuscan bread, you can use homemade bread – rub them with a clove of garlic just on one side and place them at the bottom of a large pot (an earthenware one or another type suitable for cooking on the hob). Repeat this step by adding another layer of bread and the other half of the soup. Cover it with some cling film and leave it to rest for at least 2 hours.
Once it has rested, the bread will have absorbed part of the soup and it will look compact. Cook it again over a low heat for about 20 minutes and, if necessary, add a couple of ladles of the broth. When the ribollita is hot enough, finish it with a few leaves of thyme and serve it hot with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil.
Image by Denio Rigacci from Istockphoto
