Ribollita
One thing that I love about Tuscan cuisine, among many other things, is its way of turning leftovers and food scraps into excellent, comforting dishes like soups or stews.
A great example of this is Ribollita (meaning re-boiled), a rustic soup made with torn stale bread, vegetables, and white beans slowly simmered in a wonderful broth to unlock tons of flavor while the bread, when combined with potatoes, gives way to a pleasant creamy texture in the final soup.
It’s also a great soup for vegetarians, as long as you use vegetable stock…obviously
It is a fantastic soup to eat the same day that you make it, but, like many rustic soups, Ribollita will taste even better the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that! It’s also a soup that’s great for freezing, then thawed and reheated so you have a flavorful, rustic soup in a flash.
It’s a soup that does require a bit of time to make, but I promise you that the depth of flavor is well worth it.
There are lots of different types of rustic bread that you can use to make Ribollita, but I’m going with a humble Italian loaf as that’s something I happened to have.
Ribollita also uses up something that most American cooks likely throw away, parmesan rind.
We all love the deep flavor that good parmesan provides, (not that dried-out pre-grated stuff, heaven forbid.) and while the cheese itself is what Italians have for muscles, that rind on the end has a lot of flavor packed into it that you can add to a soup, stew, pasta sauce, or stock to infuse lots of salty, nutty flavors.
I simply cannot wait to taste this soup now, so let’s get into it!
Ribollita (Tuscan bread soup)
Servings: 4-6
1/4 cup of Olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large stalk of celery, finely chopped
Salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 cups of canned crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of dry white wine
8 cups of water, or chicken/vegetable stock
3 stale Tuscan-style bread loaves, crusts removed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large bunch of Tuscan kale, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
1 (4-inch) piece of parmesan rind
2 (12-oz) Yukon gold potatoes
4 cups of cooked cannellini beans or another white bean. (homemade or canned)
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for garnish
In a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil then add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and a pinch of salt. then cook on medium-low for 25-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are deeply brown.
Do not skimp out on this step, because this is where lots of flavor is being developed.
(The veggies in the image on the right might look burnt, but actually, this is what you want!)
Add the tomatoes and wine, then cook for another 20-25 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes have become dark red and jammy.
Again, do not rush this step, this will be the foundation for tons of flavor in the final soup. The alcohol in the wine will cook out while the tomatoes will lose their acidity while concentrating their sweetness and thickening by a ton.
Add the stock or water, bread, kale, and parmesan rind, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the bottom of the pot, then bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the kale is very tender and the bread is dissolved.
This is where you’ll start to notice the bread giving the soup a nice creaminess.
Add the potatoes, and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until almost tender.
Meanwhile, dump 1 cup of the beans into a food processor along with 1 cup of water (or the bean liquid if you’re not using canned beans), and blend until smooth.
Dump the bean puree into the pot along with the remaining 3 cups of beans, then simmer for 25 more minutes, or until the beans and potatoes are very tender, but not falling apart.
Season with salt and pepper, then divide the soup among bowls and finish with a grating of parmesan.
Alright, I’ll admit, this is not the kind of soup you can simply whip up on a weeknight, but I promise you that the depth of flavor is well worth it!
The bread plus the pureed beans and potatoes give the soup a nice creamy consistency, the broth is full of flavor, and it’s a great comforting soup that can transport you to Tuscany with just one bite.
