Ribollita

Name: Ribollita
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Dried cannellini beans 2 cups; Stale bread Tuscan (wood-fired) 2.3 cups; Verza (savoy cabbage) (to clean) 10.5 oz; Italian kale (cavolo nero) (to clean) 6 cups; Chard (to clean) 8.3 cups; Potatoes 0.7 lb; Peeled tomatoes 1 ¼ cup; Carrots 0.44 cup; Celery 1 cup; Onions 1; Garlic 1 clove; Thyme fresh to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

it es br de fr

Lactose Free
Vegetarian
Light

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Serving: 6 persone
Cost: Low
Note + 1 night of soaking for the cannellini beans and 2 hours of resting in the fridge

PRESENTATION

The Tuscan cuisine is famous for its rustic and flavorful dishes: one of the most iconic is certainly ribollita, a first course that represents the culinary tradition of the region. This soup has humble origins and was born as a leftover recipe, typical of peasant cooking. The concept of "re-boiling" the ingredients (especially stale bread and vegetables) to make use of all available resources and thus obtain a substantial and nutritious anti-waste dish is closely linked to the rural culture. Today, ribollita continues to be part of home cooking, prepared in various versions that reflect family traditions and local customs. Ingredients like thyme (known in Tuscany as pepolino) are never missing, enriching this hearty black cabbage soup with a special aroma. Here we reveal our secrets to preparing and enjoying the typical ribollita, which continues to be a symbol of Tuscan tradition.

Discover also these must-try Tuscan recipes:

Black cabbage and borlotti bean farinata
Tuscan pancotto
Gnudi with black cabbage
Frantoiana soup

INGREDIENTS: Dried cannellini beans 2 cups (400 g); Stale bread 2.3 cups (300 g) - Tuscan (wood-fired); Verza (savoy cabbage) 10.5 oz (300 g) - (to clean); Italian kale (cavolo nero) 6 cups (400 g) - (to clean); Chard 8.3 cups (300 g) - (to clean); Potatoes 0.7 lb (300 g); Peeled tomatoes 1 ¼ cup (300 g); Carrots 0.44 cup (100 g); Celery 1 cup (100 g); Onions 1 -; Garlic 1 clove; Thyme to taste - fresh; Extra virgin olive oil to taste -; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Ribollita

To prepare ribollita, start by soaking the beans overnight in cold water 1. Then drain, rinse them, and place them in a large pot with plenty of unsalted cold water 2. Bring to a boil and cook for one hour. Meanwhile, prepare the aromas and vegetables for the soup: cut the celery into dice about 1/8 inch 3.

Do the same with the carrot, then peel and chop the onion 5 and garlic 6.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks of about 3/4 inch 7. Now move on to the leafy greens: cut the savoy cabbage into strips of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch, after removing the central core 8. Also, cut the Swiss chard into small pieces 9.

Remove the woody base of the black cabbage head, then cut the rest into strips 10. If the stems are too tough, you can strip the leaf from the stem and discard it. Crush the canned tomatoes with a fork 11. When the beans are cooked, take about half of them and set them aside 12.

Blend the rest along with their cooking water using an immersion blender 13. In a very large pot, pour some olive oil and add the onion 14, celery, carrot, and garlic 15.

Season with thyme (pepolino) 16 and sauté gently for about 10 minutes over low heat. Now add the potatoes 17 and the leafy greens 18.

Salt 19, pepper, and mix well, stewing everything for a few minutes. At this point, pour in the crushed tomatoes 20 and the bean broth 21, adding more water if needed to cover all the vegetables.

Bring to a boil and let cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes 22. After this time 23, add the cooked beans you set aside 34.

Cut the stale Tuscan bread into slices 25 and immerse them in the pot, pressing them well into the broth with the help of a ladle 26. When all the slices are well immersed, cover with a lid 27 and let cool at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for another 2 hours, or better yet, overnight.

After the cooling time, retrieve the soup 28, stir it, and put it back on the heat 29. Bring it to a boil, adjusting the thickness with additional water if needed. Serve and finish with a drizzle of raw olive oil 30.

Pepper 31, flavor with thyme 32, and serve your ribollita immediately 33!

Storage

The ribollita can be stored for 1-2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It can be frozen if you have used all fresh non-defrosted ingredients, although the taste may suffer.

Advice

If desired, you can garnish the soup with raw chopped onion.

For a good result, we recommend using bread with a thick crust, so it won't become excessively mushy during cooking.

If you like spicy food, you can certainly add some fresh or dried chili pepper to your ribollita, but do so sparingly, so it doesn't overpower the taste of the other ingredients.

Don't have enough time and looking for a black cabbage recipe that's quicker to prepare? Try the pasta with black cabbage!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.