Ribollita

We had some pretty cold winters while I was growing up in upstate New York. Doing anything that required being outside for longer than five minutes was an especially painful experience once the temperature fell below 20 degrees, which it sometimes did. It’s no wonder I grew up to love soups so much.

I’m pretty non-discriminatory when it comes to soup, but I do have a few favorites. Tomato soup with a hot grilled cheese sandwich conjures up many childhood memories. I’ve always been a big fan of claim chowder, I’m in the New England camp on that one. I think my all-time favorite is a potato and leek soup that I learned a few years ago, which I’ve since changed up to really make my own. Eventually I’ll write a post about it, but this post is about another recipe that I’ve made a few times over the past few years.

Ribollita dates back to the Middle Ages where it started as a peasant’s soup and was made by using whatever was left over from prior meals. I’ve seen recipes that used cauliflower, cabbage, and other vegetables, but the most prevalent ingredients were beans, some type of meat and stale bread. Keeping with tradition I used what we had in the refrigerator which did not include stale bread or any meats, but I did have a nice sourdough loaf on hand so I made crostini to go with the soup. The recipe that follows is vegan, but any type of stock can be used in the soup base.

A few years ago we purchased this Brandani glass beaker to cook beans in on the stove top. This is something my mother-in-law has always used, and while it was not something I was familiar with, it has made cooking the beans much more enjoyable. The steam from the beans and herbs shoots from the metal spout and leaves an ethereal fragrance throughout the apartment.

To make the beans:

• 16 oz. fresh cooked white beans, canned also works
• Water, enough to cover the beans by about two inches, or 10 fl. oz if using canned
• 1 fl. oz. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tomato quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
• 2 sprigs of thyme, chopped
• 1 sprig of sage, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped

For the soup base:

• 2 fl. oz of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 spanish onion, medium dice
• 1/2 bunch of kale, or whatever greens you have on hand
• 1 tomato, quartered
• 8 oz. of vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Basil leaves, 4 chopped and 2-3 leaves left whole per bowl

For the crostini:

• Sourdough cut to 3/4″ slices
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• Olive oil

1. If using dried beans, remember to soak them for at least eight hours before cooking. I will usually soak them for about 16 hours, soaking them over night until I begin preparing them for dinner the next day.
2. Combine the beans, water, olive oil, tomato, herbs and garlic in whatever type of vessel you have to cook beans on the stovetop. As mentioned above, I use a Brandani glass beaker, but if your using for the first time it’s important to keep the heat low. The beaker comes with a diffuser which helps to dissipate the heat, otherwise high heat could possibly crack the beaker. Cook until the beans have just a little bite left, 30-45 minutes. They will finish cooking when you combine with the soup base.
3. Heat a dutch oven and add the olive oil. Add the celery, garlic, carrots, onion and a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook until the vegetables have softened.
4. Add the kale, tomato and stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes.
5. Add the entire contents of the beans, including water to the soup base and continue to cook for another 25-30 minutes until the beans are tender. An option for a thicker soup is to blend half the bean mixture or pass through a food mill, and then add to the soup base. Add the four chopped basil leaves.
6. In the meantime while waiting for the soup to finish cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the slices of bread on a sheet pan and brush both sides with olive oil. Toast the slices of bread in the oven for 3-4 minutes until the bread begins to form a crust and lightly browned.
7. Remove the bread from the oven and brush both sides with the whole cloves of garlic. Put the bread back into the oven and bake until golden brown.
8. Serve soup in bowls topped with whole basil leaves and crostini.