When I was little, I remember having ribollita for the first time and thinking the person that invented it was a genius. No need to dunk any bread into this soup because its already stirred in. Ribollita has such a good thick consistency that its sort of a cross between a soup and a stew. Its filled with tons of great vegetables and it doesn't hurt that they're cooked in pancetta and topped with Parmesan cheese. You can easily make this vegetarian friendly by using a couple tablespoons of butter instead of pancetta and using veggie stock instead of chicken. However you choose to do it, this is a great bowl of comfort food.
Ribollita
Recipe from Ina Garten at http://www.foodnetwork.com/
- 1/2 pound dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus extra for serving
- 1/4 pound large diced pancetta or smoked bacon
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
- 1 cup chopped carrots (3 carrots)
- 1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
- 4 cups coarsely chopped or shredded savoy cabbage, optional
- 4 cups coarsely chopped kale
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 4 cups sourdough bread cubes, crusts removed
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
- 3 inch Parmesan rind (I threw this in there and it added great flavor.)
Directions
In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by 1-inch and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator.
Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the pancetta and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage, if using, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.
Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. (This is when I threw the Parmesan rind in. Make sure you remove and discard before serving.) Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Add the bread to the soup and simmer for 10 more minutes. (Instead of doing this, I stirred the bread cubes into each individual bowl.) Taste for seasoning and serve hot in large bowls sprinkled with Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.
It makes sense to drink an Italian chianti, sangiovese or barbera. I didn't have any of those so we had a a really good estate cab from Jessup Cellars.
Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the pancetta and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage, if using, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.
Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. (This is when I threw the Parmesan rind in. Make sure you remove and discard before serving.) Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
It makes sense to drink an Italian chianti, sangiovese or barbera. I didn't have any of those so we had a a really good estate cab from Jessup Cellars.
