Tuscan Ribollita

This recipe for Tuscan Ribollita is as authentic as they come. While traveling around the world, my brother's girlfriend, Reva, spent some time in Italy. While in Tuscany, she learned quite a few recipes, one of them being this recipe for Tuscan Ribollita. There are quite a few variations on this hearty soup but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, and inexpensive vegetables. 

Ingredients:

2 carrots

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves

olive oil to taste

1 bunch of kale, shredded

7 cups vegetable broth

3 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 

In a food processor, pulse carrots, onions, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small to medium dice. In a large stock pot, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté vegetables in oil for about 5 minutes. Next stir in the shredded kale to the stock pot and cook for about 10 minutes. In Italy, they use cavolo nero kale or also known as black leaf kale. If you can find it, use it. If not, your traditional grocery store kale will work just as well.   

Once your kale has cooked for about 10 minutes, or looks like the picture above, stir in 2 cups of vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes. While simmering, put 1 & 1/2 cans of the cannellini beans into a food processor with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Puree the beans and olive oil until smooth. Stir the pureed beans into the soup.

Add the remainder of the broth, whole beans, and seasonings into the soup. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Just before serving, tear bread into bite sized pieces and let soften in soup. Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy. 

'Till next time,

Caroline