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Ribollita a Tuscan cabbage and bean soup.

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I discovered this soup in an old book I had on regional Italian cooking about 30 years ago in a restaurant where we had a lot of potted rosemary and thyme on the patio.

It was exciting to be able to utilize the fresh herbs in this robust vegetable soup with the deliciously creamy texture of the beans. Adding the extra virgin olive oil at the end along with more fresh rosemary gives the soup an almost perfume like sweet kiss.

Over the years I adjusted the soup to this final recipe and one day an older gentleman who ordered it asked me to come to his table. “Did you make this soup?” he asked. “I am from Toscana and this is the best Ribollita I have had. But if my mother finds out I said this I will have to deny it”. He went on to tell me that it should be served over a thick slice of Tuscan bread and that it is better on day 2 and 3. “On the 4th day you don’t sell it anymore but keep it for yourself.” He finished.

Make sure the beans are cooked properly and the fresh rosemary and olive oil puts it over the top.

Ribollita

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by admin
Servings

6-8

servings
Prep time

minutes
Cooking time

minutes
Calories

kcal
Total time

0

minutes

This is one of my favorite soups, a simple bean soup that gets better after a day or two.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup 1 beans, great northern or navy (1/2 lb)

  • 4 cups 4 water (for soaking beans)

  • 8 cups 8 water (for boiling beans to make them tender)

  • 8 cups 8 water

  • 2 Tbs 2 olive oil

  • 1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 onions

  • 1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 leeks

  • 1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 celery

  • 3-5 cloves 3-5 garlic

  • 4 cups 4 cabbage

  • 3 oz 3 tomato paste

  • 1 1/2 Tbs 1 1/2 thyme (fresh)

  • 1 1/2 Tbs 1 1/2 rosemary (fresh)

  • 2 whole 2 bay leaves

  • 4 tsp 4 salt

  • 1/2 tsp 1/2 pepper

  • 2 Tbs 2 fresh parsley chopped for serving

  • 1 tsp 1 rosemary for serving

  • 2 Tbs 2 XV olive oil for serving

  • Tuscan bread for serving

Directions

  • Pick over the beans and remove any dirt, place in a bowl and cover with the soaking water. Soak overnight. See notes below.
  • Drain the beans and place in a large soup pot, cover with the bean cooking water and bring to a boil, cook at a medium boil until beans are tender. Do not add salt at this point. This may take from 1-4 hours depending on the kind and age of your beans. Usually it takes 1-2 hours but make sure the beans are tender at this stage to avoid a finished soup with hard beans.
    While the beans are cooking, prepare your other ingredients.
    Wash and peel the vegetables as needed (wash the leeks especially well). Chop the onions, leeks and celery in 1 inch pieces, crush the garlic and slice the cabbage. Chop/mince the herbs and measure out all your ingredients.
  • When the beans are tender, put them aside, drain the beans but save the cooking water.
  • Heat the 2 Tbs olive oil in a roomy soup pot on medium and saute the onions, leeks and garlic until transparent and soft. Add the cabbage and cook for a few minutes longer while stirring. Add the cooked beans, tomato paste and seasoning (reserve the items used for serving the soup). Cover with water and bring the soup to a boil, immediately lowering to a simmer. Cook the soup for about 45 minutes until the vegetables and beans are tender, add liquid as needed using the bean water first.
  • When the beans and vegetables are tender, the soup should be pretty thick at this point, taste it and adjust the salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved olive oil and chopped fresh rosemary, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve in bowls ladled over a slice of tuscan bread (traditional way). The soup gets better after a day or two as it thickens more and the flavors blend.

Equipment

  • bowl for soaking beans, large soup pot, cutting board, chef’s knife, paring knife, peeler, measuring cups and spoons, cooking spoon, strainer, ladle

Notes

  • Soaking beans and pre cooking them is very important to the success of any bean dish. Soaking overnight and parboiling for 1 hour works most of the time but beans are all different. Not just the kinds but how old they are as well as the hardness of your water. People have approached me, asking why their beans don’t become tender and there could be many variables. I ran into problems a few times after years of no issues and discovered that sometimes a specific cooking time does not fully work. I have had beans take 4 hours of vigorous cooking to become somewhat tender but this is rare. Do check the age of the beans and the variety (so you can avoid problematic ones in the future). If you have trouble on a regular basis, your water could be very hard, try soft bottled water for parboiling and avoid salting the beans until they become tender. Once the beans are tender it’s easy.

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