I know it is a just a little "HOT" outside this week. It is so humid in Hong Kong you could literally cut the air with a knife.
You step outside, after being in the aircon all day, and the heavy damp hot air just takes your breath away. Typhoons, humidity and rain are all hitting Asia this week. I hope my dear friends around the world are okay and sending positive thoughts your way to those that have been hit by these storms.
Why fight it when mother nature refuses to cooperate. Just shut the windows, turn on the aircon or your fans and let's get cooking.
While visiting Italy, I ate this lovely homestyle Tuscan bread soup called Ribollita (3 times, I loved it so much). Ribollita means twice boiled in Italian as it originated as a peasant dish to use up maybe minestrone or vegetable soup from the previous day.
I have tasted many different variations to this Tuscan soup but it pretty much has these main ingredients; leftover bread, cannelloni beans, assorted root vegetables, cavolo nero (black kale), cabbage, celery, and onions. Many people have different variations such as the addition of tomatoes, zucchini, swiss chard, or really any other vegetables as this is great chance for you to clean out your refrigerator (Cleaning? You might as well as what else are you left to do on those dog days of summer that are too hot and steamy to even go outside). You can add any vegetable that your little heart desires to this soup. The sky is the limit. Please come follow along to Siena, Italy with me to find out the little secrets to this delicious Tuscan Bread Soup called Ribollita.
I know that many recipes have the addition of Parmesan cheese to this Tuscan bread soup but the chef at a lovely little restaurant in Siena said it would be sinful for me to add cheese to his soup. Instead, he suggested that I drizzle a healthy dose of olive oil on top. (Woo Hoo! Another opportunity to drizzle fresh EVOO on a dish, I was all about that!) His Tuscan bread soup was very rich and flavorful, even without the addition of parmesan.
Do you know how some dishes taste even better the second day? This is one of these dishes. All the flavors mingle together and it has such a hearty vegetable broth that you will not even miss the meat. The cannelloni beans are packed with protein so this is a fantastic dish for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
The recipe I will share with you is formulated from taste testing 3 versions of ribollita in Italy. (Once in a restaurant in Radda, once in Siena and once in Florence. The soup in Siena was the best.) Mr. Anonymous is very patient as I swirl and swizzle my soup and dissect it of many of its contents to determine what ingredients lie inside. The other patrons in the restaurant are now looking at me with a bit of interest, but how else could I ever re-engineer this lovely Tuscan bread soup in Healthy World Cuisine.
Ribollita Re-Engineered
Serves 4 adults or 2 hungry teenagers
(All measurements are approximations or more like a dash of this and dash of that)
- 300 grams (approx. 10.6 ounces) of cannellini (white beans)
- 2 quarts of water
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced (I could not really be sure if it had this in it or not but everything is better with garlic!)
- 1 head of black leaf kale (also known as cavolo nero) chopped
- ¼ a head of Savoy cabbage
- 2 cups of chopped swiss chard
- 2 potatoes chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 zucchini chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 peeled chopped plum tomatoes (I think they were canned)
- EVOO (the really good extra virgin olive oil)
- salt and pepper to taste
- one thick slice of stale Tuscan bread for each bowl of soup.
Step 1: Pre-soak the cannelloni beans for about 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
Step 2: Boil cannelloni beans in about two quarts of very lightly salted water for 10 minutes then and then simmer for 1-2 hours or until fork tender. (Or alternatively you could use a pressure cooker if you have one- I do not) Do NOT drain the water as you need this to make your soup stock. (or use canned pre-cooked beans to save time)
Bean cooking hint: Adding salt to the cooking water can toughen some beans so you might want to go very easy on the salt, or leave it out entirely.
Step 3: In another large pot, drizzle a little EVOO and sauté the sliced onions and garlic in olive oil until they are a golden color. Then add the black kale, swiss chard, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery and add a little salt and pepper and saute for a few minutes until slightly tender. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes.
Step 4: Take out half the beans and puree. Leave the remaining beans whole. Add the pureed beans and whole beans in their cooking water and add to the vegetable pot.
Step 5: Simmer soup slowly and enjoy a glass of wine or 2 to allow the soup to cook for an hour or two or until nice and thick and savory. (Season along the way)
Step 6: Find yourself 4 large rustic earthen ware Tuscan dishes. Place one slice of Tuscan bread in each bowl. Ladle Ribollita soup into the bowl. Drizzle with Ribollita with EVOO and pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Step 7: Pour yourself another glass of wine and enjoy a delicious bowl of Ribollita Re-Engineered.
Ingredients
- cannellini (white beans) -
- onion -
- garlic -
- kale -
- swiss chard -
- potato -
- Carrot -
- zucchini -
- celery -
- plum tomatoes -
- tuscan bread -
Shumaila says
This looks and so hearty and healthy! Lovely recipe! I am glad you didn't mind the staring, else we wouldn't have got this recipe!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Shumalia! Ribollita is great vegetarian dish to try. I am so excited! Guess what I am doing right now? I am soaking my chawal and urad ki dhui da for some lovely dosa. It is my first time so wish me luck and I hope you are around this week, I might have some questions. Take Care, BAM
kitchenriffs says
Really nice recipe - great flavor. I've made similar soups, though often leave out the stale bread (mainly because I rarely have it on hand; and yes I know it should be there to be authentic!). I have tons of swiss chard and zucchini on hand at the moment and need to do something with them - I think a version of this soup is coming up! I'll bet it freezes well, too. Thanks for this.
Healthy World Cuisine says
It is so thick with the beans and the vegetables if you dont have the bread- leave it out. (a plus for any gluten intolerant individuals) This soup tastes better the next day and I think it would be great during the end harvest season to freeze and have during the fall. A great way to use up those veggies from the garden. Take care, BAM
rsmacaalay says
That looks like a very heary stew, I never tried one of those
Healthy World Cuisine says
So many delicious vegetables and the topping with the bread does make it a very hearty soup like stew. Guess what I found yesterday down the backstreets of Wanchai, a Philippine market store with all the goodies. I can't wait to try some of your delicious dishes, now that I can get the supplies.
janinka1 says
Your Ribollita looks fantastically yummy!! and the picture of this place in Siena is a good memory to me. Siena is my favorite city in Tuscany, just after Firenze. Thanks for sharing, Bam!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks for stopping by. Actually my favorite area in Italy we visited thus far was in Radda in Chianti. I guess now living in HK with the worlds largest population density I like to get away from the crowds and really enjoyed the laid back views of the countryside. I was also able to do this along the edges of the city of Siena and that was quite nice as well.
Profiteroles & Ponytails says
I'd love to be seated at one of those tables in the photo, enjoying a bowl of this soup and a glass of wine, right now. It looks like heaven!
Healthy World Cuisine says
You can join me anytime! Take Care, BAM
Hannah (BitterSweet) says
This sounds amazing! I've never actually made ribolita, so I'm happy to have your guidance here. Dishes that taste better as leftovers are fantastic by me, because I rarely have time to cook when I'm actually hungry/have time to eat. Plus, then I can eat those dishes cold on such hot days. I have no problem with cold stews- In fact, I prefer Indian food leftover, straight out of the fridge, especially.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Glad to hear I am not the only one that does that. I also love cold spaghetti. I think the flavors are more pronounced when cold vs hot. Or maybe that I am just too lazy to heat it up we will never really know but I am glad I am not alone...Take Care, BAM
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I love bean dishes and this looks so comforting and tasty.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you and even thought there is no meat in the is dish it is quite hearty so even my teenagers love it.
wok with ray says
Aahh, this looks delicious, Bam. I think the hot weather is creeping up everywhere including here in California. Like what you said, just turn on the aircon. Have a great weekend to you, Bam!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I'm sorry for my delayed response. For some reason you were in my spam inbox. Why did wordpress do that to one of my favorite foodies??? Stay cool in the aircon and keep on cooking and writing. Take care, BAM
Healthy World Cuisine says
A healthy glug for me please! Any excuse to try more of that fresh olive olive. Yum Yum! This is a great dish to make when you are cleaning out the refrigerator and you need to use up all of those vegetables.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Reem and I am so glad you stopped by. I also have been enjoy your website as well. The weather is quite dismal in Hong Kong at the moment, but this is summer in Asia. It is typhoon season. I am staying indoors and enjoying the aircon while cooking in Healthy World Cuisine. Take care, BAM
Charles says
A healthy drizzle (glug) of olive oil on this? Yes please! I've never heard of ribollita before actually - thanks for introducing me to it... it looks wonderful!
yummychunklet says
Delicious photos!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I had to stand on my chair to get one of those shots. You can spot a foodie blogger a mile away!
jothetartqueen says
I love ribolita! I had it a few times in Tuscany... what a wonderful dish. Glad that you recreated it! I should give it a go sometime soon..
Healthy World Cuisine says
Just give it a go and try my method for dash of this and dash of that. It is all good.
Kathleen Richardson says
Definitely a hearty soup, almost a stew? Your photos are gorgeous. I swear you had to lay on your back on the ground to get that one pic looking straight up the buildings to the sky!
Keep writing...
Healthy World Cuisine says
You can spot me miles away taking photos. A girl has to do what a girl has to do to get that perfect shot. Take care, BAM