Cold weather = Ribollita Soup

The weather is so grey, cold and windy lately and this of course makes me want to just eat non-stop. I tend to crave warm, hearty things (hello comfort food) and I usually like to keep things on the healthy side so Ribollita Soup was the perfect dish to make yesterday.

Ribollita is a very simple peasant soup which substitutes meat with bread (although I put in a little bit of  Pancetta for my man). Ribollita got it's name because it is usually consumed the day after it's preparation, when it is warmed up in a pot with olive oil and reboiled "ribollita". I eat it straight away as well as the day after. This soup is simple, inexpensive and made with stale Tuscan bread and a variety of vegetables including Tuscan kale, making it the perfect Fall dish since kale is hard to come by at any other time of the year here in Italy.

I am combining a few different recipes because, well, I didn't have everything on hand in my house and I didn't want to go to the market in the rain.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 70 minutes

Here is what you will need:

227 grams of dried cannellini beans would be best but I only had canned so that is what I used, 1 can garbanzo beans, and 1 can of Spanish white beans. What can I say, I had to improvise. Honestly, for this recipe 3 cans of cannellini would be best.

3 tablespoons olive oil
I used pancetta, so about 150 grams of pancetta diced small
1-2 cups (300 grams) diced onion …Basically 1 big onion or 2 small
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
3-4 medium carrots diced
3-4 stalks celery diced
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 small cans diced tomatoes (about 740 grams)
4 cups chopped kale & chard mixed (ribs cut out and then chopped)
2 liters of broth. I used turkey but you can use any broth.
½ cup chopped fresh basil
a small bunch of parsley chopped
1 loaf of tuscan bread or ciabatta, crusts removed and torn into rough pieces or cubed (think about an inch in size.

***If using dry beans, you will need to soak the beans overnight: In a large bowl, cover the Cannellini beans with cold water to cover by several inches. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate overnight.  If you’ve forgotten to soak the beans overnight, use this quick soak method. Rinse the beans in cold water, place them in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 3″. Bring the beans to a strong simmer, cover and remove from the heat. Allow beans to sit for an hour or two. The beans are ready to use as if they were soaked.

Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups (2 liters) of broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 45-60 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and continue simmering until beans are tender, about 15 minutes longer.  Set the beans aside in their liquid to cool.

If you have no time like myself, and are a bit lazy and  are using canned beans, let's get on with the recipe...

How to make the soup:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook the pancetta until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

2. Add the oil to the pot and over medium-low heat cook onions until they are soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the drained pancetta, carrots, celery, salt, black and red pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 7-10 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, kale, chard and simmer another 7-10 minutes.

4. Puree half the beans with a little broth in a blender. Add the puree, the remaining beans and half of the broth. Cook on a low simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

5. Add the basil, parsley and the rest of the broth and the cubed bread keeping some back so that you can add more later if the soup is not thick enough.Cook for 10 minutes or so until tender. It should be thick like a stew. If the soup is too thick just add a little boiled water from the kettle.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve in some beautiful bowls with a bit of grated parmesan cheese on top and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. xo