We’ve entered that awkward but wonderful time of year when summer produce is still in peak and the farmers markets are overflowing with tomatoes, onions, and greens. But the nights are chilly and leave us wanting to eat something warm while curled up on the couch. So, when pondering what to cook this week that could satisfy both, I landed on Ribollita.
Ribollita is a hearty soup from Tuscany that was designed to be resourceful.
The Italians have all kinds of ways to use up stale bread: panzanella (tomato bread salad), pappa al pomodoro (tomato bread soup), breadcrumbs, ribollita (another tomato & bread soup!). Notice a theme here? But this recipe is about more than stale bread and tomatoes. The word ‘ribollita’ translates to ‘reboiled’ – the dish brings together leftover soup and leftover bread to create a hearty, flavorful, bowl of bread stew that is begging to be topped with quality olive oil and tons of freshly grated Parmingiano Reggiano.
A few ingredients you absolutely need:
– crusty, stale bread
– fresh, flavorful tomatoes (I used some beautiful orange tomatoes from the co-op)
– creamy white beans (cook your own Rancho Gordos or buy a can of Cannelini beans)
– a parmesan rind: the key to any great soup is adding a parm rind to the stock as it simmers
– some kind of green, traditionally napa cabbage or kale
But remember, it’s ‘yesterday’s soup’, so throw in whatever veggies you need to use up. And one last note before we get started: soup is always better after it rests for a while. Planning ahead is hard, but if you can, cook this soup the day before you plan to enjoy it. I promise, the wait will be worth it.
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for topping
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stocks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt & pepper
1 cup dry white wine
3 medium tomatoes, blanched & crushed (see below)
4 cups (1 qt) chicken stock
1 parmigiano reggiano rind
2 cups cannelini beans
6 oz napa cabbage or kale, chopped
4 slices crusty sourdough bread, cubed
Lots of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Start by prepping your tomatoes: Boil 3 cups of water in a small pot. Using a pairing knife, cut a shallow x in the bottom of each tomato. Drop in the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes until you can see the skin begin to detach. Using a spoon or tongs, carefully remove each tomato from the boiling water and drop them in a bowl of ice water to blanch. After a minute or two chilling in the ice water, the skin should peel right off and you can carefully crush the tomatoes using your hands.
- To start the soup, heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over low-medium heat. Add your mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot) and cook, stirring regularly, for 4-5 minutes until softened, but not browned.
- Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Then add tomato paste.
- Season with salt & pepper. Remember, the chicken stock will also add some saltiness, so go lighter on the salt now. You can always add more later.
- Once the tomato paste has browned slightly, turn up the heat to medium and add your white wine – stir to reduce slightly before adding in your crushed tomatoes. Cook 2-4 minutes and crush any remaining chunks of tomato with the back of your spoon.
- Add your chicken stock, parmesan rind, and cannelini beans. Bring to a boil.
- Cook covered over low-medium heat for 1-2 hours. The beans will begin to fall apart to thicken the soup. The parmesan rind will become melty and impart the best, most comforting flavor to your pot of soup.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cube your bread and toss in the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and salt/pepper. Spread out the cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for ~15 minutes, until browned slightly and crispy. Remove and cool.
- After a couple of hours simmering, stir your chopped cabbage/kale and toasted bread into the ribollita. You’ll see it quickly thicken as the bread begins to absorb the broth. Cover, cool, and set in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, reheat and serve topped with good quality olive oil and lots of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Some people like to remove the parm rind before cooling the soup. But as far as I’m concerned, the longer you leave it in there, the more delicious it’ll be. And according Italian lore, if you get the coveted rind in your bowl, it’s good luck (I was the lucky winner of the parm rind at my dinner table last night!!)
