Hearty, Rustic Tuscan bread soup
Ribollita has a wonderfully humble and rich history rooted in the heart of Tuscany — it’s a perfect instance of cucina povera, or “peasant cooking,” that’s all about making scrumptious, nourishing food from easy, ordinary components
Origin of the Name: The word ribollita manner “reboiled” in Italian (ri- = again, bollita = boiled)
This is because the soup changed into traditionally cooked in massive batches and then reheated — or “reboiled” — over the following days. Each time it changed into reheated, the flavours become deeper and they feel thicker as the bread melted into the soup
Medieval Roots: The dish’s roots stretch back to medieval instances. Back then, wealthy landowners and nobles would consume lavish food served on big, stale flatbread known as pane da mensa. Whereas servants might acquire up those bread scraps soaked with meat juices and vegetables from the ceremonial dinner tables and take them domestic. They could then boil those leftovers with any seasonal veggies, beans, and greens they had — giving upward thrust to early versions of Ribollita.
Seasonal & Frugal: Over centuries, Ribollita became a staple among Tuscan farmers and villagers. It’s made with less expensive, considerable elements: kale or cavolo nero (black Tuscan kale), stale bread (not anything wasted!), root veggies, white beans, and herbs. It reflects the rural exercise of now not throwing anything away — a bowl of Ribollita is a tribute to resourcefulness and seasonal eating
Modern Tradition: Today, Ribollita is considered certainly one of Tuscany’s most loved comfort foods, specifically in colder months. It’s usually eaten as a hearty essential direction in us of a houses and trattorias alike, with a drizzle of good Tuscan olive oil to complete it off.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 huge yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small bunch of kale or cavolo nero (Tuscan black cabbage), stemmed & chopped
- 1 small savoy cabbage, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 can (400g) cannellini beans, drained & rinsed (or 1½ cups cooked beans)
- Medium potatoes (peeled & diced)
- 400g (diced tomatoes)
- 1 tsp clean thyme, chopped (or ½ tsp dried)
- 1 bay leaf
- (4 cups) vegetable broth (or more, as per requirement)
- 200g stale united states bread, torn into chunks
- Salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Step 1: To a pan, drizzle some olive oil for the vegetables
Step 2: Add in the chopped vegetables (onions, carrot, celery) and a pinch of salt Cook it for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything gets softened
Step 3: For some aroma and flavours, add in minced or chopped garlic followed by addition of the kale and cabbage and let it for five minutes, stirring so that they turn soft
Step 4: Add chopped zucchini, diced potatoes, mashed or chopped tomatoes, along with thyme and a bay leaf
Step 5: Stir nicely, then pour inside the vegetable broth and bring it to boil
Step 6: Reduce warmth to low, in part cowl, and let it simmer for approximately 30–40 minutes, till the vegetables are soft
Step 7: Add the cannellini beans. Taste and season with salt and pepper
Step 8: Tear in the stale bread chunks, stir nicely, and cook for some other 10–15 mins — the bread will thicken the soup
- Traditionally, Ribollita is cooled and reheated tomorrow (ribollita = “reboiled”) — this deepens the flavor and thickens the texture fantastically
- To serve Drizzle with right extra virgin olive oil, and finish with freshly cracked black pepper
- You also can top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if you want (though purists frequently skip it)
- Use day-old rustic sourdough or Tuscan unsalted bread for the pleasant result
- For more depth, mash some beans into the broth
- Ribollita is even higher day after today — don’t bypass the “reboiling” step!
