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JhoiraArtificer
@JhoiraArtificer

it's incredibly delicious! it's vegan! it's cheap! it's... ribollita!

This recipe is taken from the Phaidon publication/translation of The Silver Spoon, a book I am given to understand is approximately the Italian Joy of Cooking.

RIBOLLITA

Serves 4 (I got about 3 quarts of soup)


Preparation: 30 min Cooking: 2½ hr

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 3 fresh or canned tomatoes, peeled
  • 1 fresh thyme sprig (I used two pinches dried thyme)
  • 2 potatoes, coarsely diced
  • 7½ cups shredded cavolo nero (lacinato kale) (I personally use whatever mix of cabbages need using up, I love green cabbage in this)
  • 1 cup fresh white beans, or ½ cup dried white beans, soaked in cold water overnight and drained
  • 4 slices country-style bread (I use fossilized stale bread and freezer-burned sliced bread torn into pieces. whatever otherwise-questionable bread you have around, really)
  • salt and pepper

This soup is called ribollita (reboiled) because it was originally made using the previous day's leftover vegetable soup heated in an earthenware pot with thinly sliced onion, black pepper, and olive oil sprinkled on the surface. It was taken off the heat and served when the onion had turned golden brown. Today, however, it is normally made as follows: Heat the oil in a large pot, add the carrot, onion, and celery, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes, thyme, and potatoes and cook for a few minutes, then add the cavolo nero and beans. Pour in 8 cups water and season with salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the bread on the bottom of a large dutch oven and ladle in the soup. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with oil.

My notes

  • Add salt to your bean-soaking water! Otherwise your beans will be under-seasoned in the end.
  • You don't need to pre-soak your beans if you forget to prepare in advance. Just throw them in the pot when the recipe says, and maybe add a little more water. The soup may take an extra 45 minutes or so to cook... just periodically check a bean to see if it's done cooking.
  • You can totally also just add your dead bread to the pot on the stove, it'll work just fine and you'll have one fewer pot to clean
  • It would be tasty to add a Parmesan rind during cooking. I always forget, but it would be good (albeit non-vegetarian). UPDATE: go ahead if you want to, but you really don't need it at all for flavor.
  • You might think the olive oil at serving time is optional. While it technically is, it really makes the flavors pop so I strongly recommend it.

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