Ribollita Tuscan Minestrone Recipes

RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by 1-inch and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator.
• Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the pancetta and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage, if using, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.
• Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
• Add the bread to the soup and simmer for 10 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve hot in large bowls sprinkled with Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP (RIBOLLITA)

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat; saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add zucchini and cook until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir vegetable stock, cannellini beans, chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, and pesto into vegetable mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat; saute spinach until wilted, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauteed spinach into each serving bowl; ladle soup over spinach.

RIBOLLITA (TUSCAN MINESTRONE)

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion and leek together over low heat until they begin to caramelize; add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute; add all the remaining vegetables; season to taste and stir to mix; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables have reduced in volume by half; stir again and add broth; bring to a boil and then lower the heat; add the tomato paste and stir to dissolve; cover and cook the soup for 1 hour; add the beans.
• The next day, reheat soup gently and stir in the bread cubes until the bread has turned into a mush (this takes about 10-15 minutes); if the soup is too thick, thin with more stock to suit your taste.
• Serve at table with freshly-cracked black pepper, grated parmesan cheese, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

RIBOLLITA (TUSCAN MINESTRONE)

Steps:

• Rinse and sort through the beans to remove any pebbles.
• Put beans in a large bowl; cover with 3 cups boiling water; soak beans for 1 hour.
• Drain beans in a colander and reserve.
• Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over med-high heat.
• When hot, add the onion, leek, carrot, and celery; saute until just softened, 3-4 minutes.
• Add in minced garlic and rosemary; saute 1 minute.
• Add 8 cups water, the reserved beans, tomatoes, cabbage, and 1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt.
• Bring to a boil; decrease heat, and cook at a simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
• Add in potatoes, zucchini, and chard; simmer covered, until the potatoes and zucchini are tender and the chard is wilted, for 20-25 minutes.
• Taste soup and season with salt, as needed.
• When ready to serve, lightly toast the bread slices, then rub each piece on both sides with a cut garlic clove.
• Either place 1 bread slice in the bottom of 6 soup bowls and ladle soup over OR ladle soup into 6 bowls and top each with a bread slice.
• Garnish each serving with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

TUSCAN-STYLE RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole over a medium heat and fry the onion, celery and carrot with a pinch of salt for 15 mins until soft. Add the garlic and chilli flakes, and cook for 1 min.
• Stir in the rosemary sprig, tomatoes, stock, beans and parmesan rind, if using, and bring to a simmer. Add the cavolo and cook, covered, for 10 mins. Stir through the bread and cook for several minutes more to warm through, then add the vinegar and season. Spoon into bowls, drizzle with a little more oil and sprinkle with the basil, if using, and the grated cheese.