Leftovers Deluxe The Tuscan Way Ribollita Food

LEFTOVERS DELUXE THE TUSCAN WAY RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Drain beans after soaking and cover generously with fresh water, adding the sage and the 2 whole cloves of garlic. Bring beans to boil and cook 45 minutes to one hour, until they are quite tender. Reserve liquid.
• Meanwhile, saute the pancetta, the two minced garlic cloves and the onion in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.
• When beans are cooked, puree half of them in a food processor, using a little of the cooking liquid, if necessary.
• Combine the pureed and the whole beans with the pancetta mixture and with tomatoes, carrots, celery, thyme, chard, potatoes and cabbag and 4 to 5 cups of the bean broth. Cook for 30 to 60 minutes, adding water if soup becomes more like porridge. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a layer of bread in a casserole and top with some soup. Repeat until all the bread is used, ending with soup on top. The dish can be served this way, as a bean and bread soup. To make ribollita, refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, mash the soup and the bread into a thick porridge. Boil to reheat. As an alternative, you may saute the ribollita in a skillet in 4 tablespoons of olive oil until it forms a light crust. In either case, each serving should be topped with the remaining 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.

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.

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.