Ribollita
Ribollita
Tuscan bean, veg and bread stew, one pot, 1.5 hr, serves 6
Ingredients
The soffritto onion 1, finely chopped carrots 2, finely chopped celery 2 sticks, finely chopped garlic 3 cloves, sliced olive oil 4 tbsp The stew cannellini beans 2 tins, drained chopped tomatoes 1 x 400g tin potatoes 300g, diced vegetable stock 1 litre thyme few sprigs rosemary 1 sprig cavolo nero 200g, shredded savoy cabbage 200g, shredded salt and pepper to season To finish stale bread 200g, torn olive oil to serve
Cavolo nero is the soul of it. Kale stands in if you cannot get it.
The stale bread is the point, not a way to use up scraps. A heel of your sourdough or boule is ideal.
The name means reboiled. It is meant to be made a day ahead and warmed through again.
Recipe
1. Soften the soffritto in the oil in the Dutch oven over low heat, 10 minutes, until sweet and not coloured:
[onion 1 finely chopped, carrots 2 finely chopped, celery 2 sticks, garlic 3 cloves sliced]
2. Add and bring to a gentle simmer:
[chopped tomatoes 1 tin, potatoes 300g diced, vegetable stock 1 litre, thyme few sprigs, rosemary 1 sprig]
3. Mash a ladle of the beans to a rough paste, then stir all the beans in. Simmer 20 minutes.
4. Stir in the cavolo nero and cabbage. Simmer 30 minutes, until everything is soft and the potatoes are starting to collapse. Season.
5. Stir in the torn bread. Cook 15 minutes more, mashing the bread and some of the potato against the side of the pot, until it breaks down and the stew turns thick.
Thick and spoonable, not soupy. The bread does the thickening, so give it the full time to break down. A splash of stock if it goes too stiff.
6. Rest off the heat 10 minutes. Serve in bowls with a very generous pour of olive oil over each.
❄ Freezer
Freeze: cool fully, freeze in portions for up to 3 months. It is stodgier reheated, which is the point of the dish.
Reheat: from frozen in a pan, loosen with a splash of stock or water.
Source: Healthy Seasonal Recipes.