Bread And Bean Soup Recipes

RIBOLLITA (HEARTY TUSCAN BEAN, BREAD, AND VEGETABLE STEW) RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat with garlic. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and very lightly golden. Add onion, leek, carrots, squash, turnip, and celery and cook, stirring, until slightly softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add enough water to slightly cover vegetables (about 6 cups; 1.5L) along with kale and bouquet garnis and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower heat to maintain simmer and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes.
• Stir in beans and their cooking liquid (or 1 cup water if using canned beans). Add bread, stir well, and simmer until bread is very soft and breaking down, about 15 minutes. Add water, 1/2 cup at a time, if soup becomes too thick and dry.
• Season with salt and pepper. The soup can be served at varying consistencies: more wet and broth-y, like a thick, chunky soup, or cooked down until thickened like a porridge. Once reduced to a thick porridge, you can ladle some of it into a small (8-inch) nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon oil and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it coalesces into a dense mass; it will eventually take the shape of a pancake. (If your flipping skills are good, you can flip it to serve it browned side up.) Slide it onto a plate. To serve at any consistency, drizzle with fresh olive oil and top with freshly ground black pepper and grated cheese (optional).

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN AND BREAD SOUP (RIBOLLITA)

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees.
• Spread the bread cubes out over a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dried but not browned, about 30 minutes; set aside.
• Process half the beans and 1/4 cup sof the water in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 12 pulses, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.
• Add carrots, onion, kale stems, and 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in tomatoes and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in pureed beans, remaining whole beans, remaining water, kale leaves, potato, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
• Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until potato is tender, about 40 minutes.
• Stir in rosemary sprig and 2 cups of dried bread cubes into the soup, cover, and let stand off the heat until the bread is soggy and falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Discard rosemary sprig and bay leaves and stir to break up bread pieces and thicken the soup.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide remaining bread cubes among individual bowls and ladle thickened soup over the top.
• Drizzle olive oil over top of each portion and serve, passing out the Parmesan cheese separately.

BREAD AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Bake stale bread 10 minutes at 300 to give it a crunch.
• Heat up stock over medium flame. Add beans to boil.
• Meanwhile, sauté onion, pepper, and garlic in oil until the onion is golden and beginning to blacken.
• Stir the vegetables into the beans and stock. Add spices to taste. Let simmer for a few minutes.
• Stir in bread and let set to soak up some moisture.
• Before serving, you might want to add some extra water (because the bread will have sopped up most of the stock).