Italian

Ribollita

A Tuscan bread and vegetable soup made with cannellini beans, cavolo nero, and yesterday's country bread. It is at its best after resting, then being gently reboiled with plenty of good olive oil.

Ingredients

• Dried cannellini beans100g
• Water1.2 litres
• Sage leaves3
• Garlic cloves2, divided
• Extra-virgin olive oil3 tbsp, plus more to serve
• Yellow onion1 small, finely chopped
• Carrot1 small, finely chopped
• Celery stalk1 small, finely chopped
• Leek1 small, white and pale green parts sliced
• Potato1 small, peeled and diced
• Tomato passata120ml
• Cavolo nero150g, ribs removed and leaves chopped
• Savoy cabbage100g, shredded
• Stale Tuscan-style country bread120g, sliced
• Fine sea saltto taste
• Black pepperto taste

Method

1. Soak the cannellini beans overnight in plenty of cold water, then drain them.
2. Put the beans in a pot with 1.2 litres fresh water, the sage leaves, and 1 peeled garlic clove, then simmer gently until tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Season the beans with salt only near the end of cooking, then discard the sage and garlic and reserve the beans with their cooking liquid.
4. Mash or blend half of the beans with a little cooking liquid to make a coarse puree, leaving the remaining beans whole.
5. Warm 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot and slowly cook the onion, carrot, celery, leek, and remaining minced garlic until soft and sweet, about 12 minutes.
6. Add the potato and tomato passata, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
7. Add the cavolo nero, Savoy cabbage, bean puree, whole beans, and enough bean cooking liquid to cover the vegetables by about 2 cm.
8. Simmer slowly until the vegetables are very tender and the soup is thick, about 45 minutes, adding a little more bean liquid or water if needed.
9. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
10. Lay the stale bread slices in a small earthenware dish or heavy pot and ladle the hot soup over them in layers, letting the bread absorb the broth.
11. Let the ribollita cool, then refrigerate it overnight so the bread and vegetables bind together.
12. The next day, reheat the ribollita gently until it bubbles and thickens, stirring from the bottom so it does not catch.
13. Serve hot or warm with the remaining olive oil drizzled generously over the top and a little black pepper.

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