Ribollita With Italian Sausage Food

MY FAVOURITE RIBOLLITA (LA MIA RIBOLLITA PREFERITA)

Steps:

• Add your fresh or dried and soaked beans to a pan of water with the bay leaf - this will help to flavour the beans and soften their skins. Squash the tomato, peel the potato and add both to the pan. Cook until the beans are tender - taste one to check they're nice and soft. Dried beans can take up to an hour, but check fresh ones after 25 minutes. Drain (reserving about half a glass of the cooking water), and discard the bay leaf, tomato and potato.
• Peel and finely chop your onions, carrots and garlic. Trim and finely chop the celery.
• Heat a saucepan with a splash of olive oil and add the vegetables to the pan with the ground fennel seeds and chilli. Sweat very slowly on a low heat with the lid just ajar for around 15 to 20 minutes until soft, but not brown.
• Add the tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer for a few minutes.
• Add the cooked and drained beans with a little of the water they were cooked in, and bring back to the boil.
• Finely slice the cavolo nero (stalks and all) and add to the pan - it will look like loads, but don't worry as it will cook down.
• Tear the bread into chunks, then moisten with a little of the cooking water and stir it in too. The soup should be thick but not dry, so add a little more cooking water if you need to loosen it. Continue cooking for about 30 minutes - you want to achieve a silky, thick soup.
• Season the ribollita with sea salt and black pepper, and stir in 4 good lugs of good-quality Tuscan extra virgin olive oil before serving to give it a glossy velvety texture.
• Delicious served on a cold winter's day with lots and lots of Chianti!

RIBOLLITA (REBOILED ITALIAN CABBAGE SOUP)

Steps:

• Sort and rinse the beans before placing them in a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain.
• Place the beans, chicken broth, garlic, sage leaves, bay leaves, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours. Cool. Remove 1 cup of beans. Discard the bay leaves and sage leaves. Blend the remaining bean mixture with a hand mixer until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until transparent, about 10 minutes. Combine the carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, Swiss chard, and kale with the onions. Stir in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and cook until greens have wilted, stirring at least once, about 20 minutes. Stir in the pureed bean mixture, and cook 40 minute until the mixture thickens. Stir in the reserved beans. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add the toasted bread slices; cook until bread is soaked, about 10 minutes longer. Cool, and refrigerate overnight.
• Reheat the soup over low heat until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve each serving garnished with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it's hot, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Drain the beans; if they're canned, rinse them as well. Add them to the pot along with tomatoes and their juices and stock, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the soup bubbles steadily; cover and cook, stirring once or twice to break up the tomatoes, until the flavors meld, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Fish out and discard rosemary and thyme stems, if you like, and stir in kale. Taste and adjust seasoning. Lay bread slices on top of the stew so they cover the top and overlap as little as possible. Scatter red onion slices over the top, drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Put the pot in the oven and bake until the bread, onions and cheese are browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. (If your pot fits under the broiler, you can also brown the top there.) Divide the soup and bread among 4 bowls and serve.

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 (TUSCAN WINTER SOUP) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Boil the beans in water to cover by about 2 inches (4 centimeters), adding more boiling water if need be to keep them submerged, and lightly salting them when they're almost done.
• At this point, sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and parsley in the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot.
• When the onion has become translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes, add the tomato paste and the cooking liquid from the beans.
• Add the kale, beet greens or chard, and potatoes.
• Stir in the cooked beans and season to taste with salt, pepper, and a sprig of thyme.
• Simmer until the potatoes are tender and can be pierced easily with the tines of a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the thyme and discard.
• Take a serving dish that can be heated and fill it with alternating layers of thinly sliced bread and soup, making sure the bread is damp-until the soup is used up.
• Serve and enjoy!

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.

RIBOLLITA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Toss bread and 3 tablespoons oil on a rimmed baking sheet, squeezing to moisten; season with salt. Toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and crunchy, 15-18 minutes. Let croutons cool.
• Using your hands, mix sausage and wine in a medium bowl until smooth. Cook in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until firm but not browned, about 4 minutes.
• Add onion, carrots, celery, anchovies, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, 20-25 minutes. Add kale, tomatoes, beans, and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until kale offers no resistance when bitten and flavors have melded, about 1 hour.
• Just before serving, add vinegar and half of croutons to soup, stirring to break them into smaller pieces. Divide remaining croutons among bowls and ladle soup over. Serve topped with Parmesan and drizzled with more oil.

RAE'S RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, finely chop and add the pancetta, chilli flakes and fennel seeds, then fry for 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, dice the carrot and celery into 1cm chunks, and peel finely chop the onion. Tie the rosemary sprigs together with string.
• Add the chopped veg and rosemary to the pan, then reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 15 to 20 minutes, or until softened and caramelised.
• Tip in the tomatoes, squashing and crushing them through your clean hands, followed by the beans (juice and all), and 1.8 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the veg is tender and the liquid has thickened slightly.
• Meanwhile, strip the cavolo nero leaves from their stalks and roughly chop them, adding them to the pan after 10 minutes.
• When the veg is tender, pick out and discard the rosemary.
• Tear the bread into small chunks, dot it into the pan, and continue to simmer gently for around 10 minutes, or until the bread has broken down and the soup is thick and creamy, stirring regularly.
• Season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, then drizzle lightly with cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil before serving.

RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and celery; cook until crisp-tender, 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add next 7 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. , Stir in bread; cook and stir until bread is softened. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

SAUSAGE RIBOLLITA SOUP

Steps:

• Crumble sausage and fry in a pan until no longer pink. Drain on paper towels.
• Drain canned tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Dice the tomatoes. Using a potato masher, mash half the beans into a paste (add a bit of broth, if desired, to make mashing the beans easier). Set the tomatoes and beans aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; cook, stirring, until translucent and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown. Season with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in carrots, celery and zucchini and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; cook, stirring, until nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• When the carrots and celery are nearly tender, stir in kale (or chard) and cabbage. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 4 to 6 minutes. Add cooked sausage, potatoes, broth, water, the diced tomatoes and juice, the bean puree and whole beans, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with celery seed, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until all the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.