Three Bean Ribollita Recipes

PRESSURE-COOKER THREE-BEAN RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Heat a 6- to 8-quart stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high, or set an electric pressure cooker to saute. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add onion and garlic to pressure cooker, and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beans, carrots, celery, chicken stock, and the water. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stovetop:Secure lid. Bring to high pressure over medium-high heat; reduce heat to maintain pressure and cook for 50 minutes. Remove from heat, quickly release heat (loosely cover vent with a clean kitchen towel), then remove lid. Let stand 10 minutes. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Electric: Secure lid. Manually set cooker to 30 minutes and let it come to pressure. Once time is complete, turn off, quickly release pressure (loosely cover vent with a clean kitchen towel), then remove lid. Let stand 10 minutes. Bring to a simmer using the saute function.
• Add cabbage and rosemary, and cook, stirring, until cabbage is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in bread and simmer until bread has softened and begins to break down, about 2 minutes. Stir in reserved bacon, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with oil, if desired, and serve immediately.
• Remove cover, and stir in bread. Simmer soup until bread has softened and begins to break down, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved bacon; adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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.

SPRING CLEANING RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 minutes. Add carrot, Swiss chard stems and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Crush the tomatoes over the pot with your hands, stir them in with their juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid is reduced and the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, basil sprigs, thyme sprigs, Swiss chard leaves and 8 cups of water, and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in peas, beans and bread, and cook, stirring and mashing up the bread, until most of the bread dissolves and soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Discard basil and thyme sprigs, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide soup among bowls and finish with the chopped basil. Garnish with cheese, if desired.

SLOW COOKER RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Place the beans in a large bowl and add cold water to cover by 3 inches. Cover the bowl and soak the beans in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next day, pour the beans and their soaking liquid into a slow cooker. Add enough fresh water to cover the beans by 2 inches, cover with the lid, and cook on the high setting for 4 hours.
• Place a very large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, and when the oil shimmers, add the onion. Season with salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until softened. Add the carrots, celery, butternut squash, and garlic, and cook for 5 more minutes, until starting to soften. Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, crushing each one in your hand as you add it. Add the bouquet garni, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 tablespoon of the red pepper flakes. Cook on the low setting for 3 hours.
• Uncover the slow cooker, remove the bouquet garni, and add the kale, bread, 1 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes. Stir the soup well, season with more salt to taste, and serve with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top.

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.