Ribollita
Recipe courtesy of Ritrovo Italian Regional Foods
Serves 8
Ribollita means “reboiled” in Italian and was traditionally made with left-over beans and day-old bread. This hearty Tuscan soup is made with cannellini beans, kale, tomatoes, dried bread and a soffritto* of garlic & vegetables. This quick version is the perfect cold-weather meal.
Ingredients:
1 recipe soffritto* (recipe below)
1/2 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced
Fine Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 jar Radici of Tuscany Italian Tomatoes
2 jars Tuscan White Bean Appetizer by Radici of Tuscany
2 quarts vegetable broth
2 bunches fresh Tuscan kale, roughly chopped
1/2 pound country bread, air-dried and crumbled
*Soffritto
What is Sofritto? The components of a soffritto can vary. A favorite combination, used in this recipe, is finely diced onion, carrot and celery, slowly sautéed in olive oil. Others may include garlic, bell pepper, and many variations of aromatics such as rosemary and thyme. Soffritto is the base for many delicious pasta sauces, risotto dishes and stews. In Italy, soffritto is so commonly used, it can often be found in grocery stores.
Ingredients:
Sofritto:
1/2 cup Trampetti Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Poggi Bonsi Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Trampetti
2 onions, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and minced
2 large stalks celery, minced
1 clove garlic
Directions for Ribollita:
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the sofritto vegetables and sauté, stirring every few moments to cook evenly. Cook the soffritto until it becomes a deep golden color. A good soffritto takes a little practice to get right. Don’t let your soffritto burn!
- Puree one jar of Radici of Tuscany white bean appetizer with 1 cup of vegetable broth.
- To the soup pot containing the soffritto, still over medium heat, add the parsley and a little salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes to the soffritto mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cannellini beans and stir well. Add the bean purée to the pot, as well as the rest of the broth. Stir and bring to a slow boil*.
- Add the Tuscan kale, stir well and bring to a slow boil again. Stir the bread into the soup and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer on low for 2 hours. Check the flavors every 30 minutes or so and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve in heated earthenware bowls with any dense rustic Italian bread, and Chianti wine.
(* If you prefer a meatier taste to your soup, an ounce or two of pork works well in this dish for flavoring.)
About Keli Sim DeRitis
Keli Sim DeRitis is an artist, designer, passionate cook, teacher, and tour guide. Keli founded Poggi Bonsi in 2001 to share her love of European travel, food, wine, and culture. Connect with me on Google+
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