Countless Tuscan dishes have peasant origins and this recipe is no exception. Ribollita means “re-boiled” and in the old days, the previous day’s Minestrone was invigorated and given some additional girth with the addition of old bread.
The classic ingredients are cannellini or Great Northern Beans, vegetables and bread, although there are countless variations – however, without the bread it is just veggie soup and not genuine. One of the secrets to an authentic Ribollita is to puree some of the cooked cannellinis, before adding them to the soup as that will create an extra velvety potage. Cannellini beans are very rich and buttery and make for a stellar soup. Ribollita is classic comfort food; a hearty winter soup that gets even finer the next day, as the flavors have had a chance become well acquainted. It keeps for 4-5 days and freezes exceptionally well.
1 medium sweet onion – chopped
2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
½ cup of chopped pancetta
3 cups of dried cannellini beans
2 carrots – medium chopped
2 ribs of celery – medium chopped
2 parsnips – medium chopped
1/8 TSP red pepper flakes
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 28 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes with their juice
2 cups of shredded kale
2 cups of chopped cabbage
2 TBSP tomato paste
1/2 cup of white wine
3 bay leaves
Bunch fresh basil – chiffonade chop
6 cups of low sodium chicken stock
1 TBSP Better than Bouillon
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
3 slices of stale bread – baguette or sourdough is best (crust removed)
Soak the beans overnight, drain and rinse them. In a large pot, cover them with fresh water, add about 1/2 TSP of baking soda and bring to a boil. Simmer them for about 50-60 minutes or till very soft (don’t add salt while they are cooking). Remove them from the heat and let them cool at room temp.
In a large Dutch oven, heat up about 3 TBSP of olive oil and add the chopped onion, pancetta and thyme sprigs. Sweat for about 3-4 minutes. Incorporate the carrots, parsnips, celery and garlic and cook about 2-3 minutes – add the wine and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the veggies are somewhat cooked. Add the tomato paste and mix – add the canned tomatoes, cabbage, kale and mix well with the mirepoix. Add the chicken stock and bouillon, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, Kosher salt/pepper and bring up to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Meanwhile, place half of the cooked cannellini into a food processor, add about a ladle of the cooking liquid with some salt and puree till smooth. Add them to the soup, along with half the basil. Simmer gently, covered for about 1 hour. Add the cubed bread and the rest of the whole beans and cook an additional 5 minutes. Check for seasonings, add the rest of the basil. Allow to it rest for at least 6 hours (preferable overnight in the fridge) and reheat on low. Serve on shallow bowls with a drizzle of good EVOO. Traditionally this soup isn’t served with parmesan.
NOTE
Original Ribollita doesn’t call for pancetta, but I love the flavor it imparts as everything tastes better with bacon. For best result use dried beans, however, when time constraints surface, the canned variety makes for an easy solution. The example of my Hummus post and recipe is influential here by not using canned chickpeas. Just know, if you go the extra mile and make it from scratch, you will achieve sublime excellence. Ensure you allow the soup to rest for at least 6 hours – preferably overnight.
