Ribollita

Ribollita, which translates literally as “reboiled,” is a traditional Tuscan white bean soup that’s on nearly every menu in Florence during the colder months. Ask for it during late spring or summer, however, and they’ll laugh: Fall, when leafy green vegetables are at their peak, is the best time to make this hearty vegetable soup. The most important ingredient in this vegan dish is the slightly bitter cavolo nero or Swiss chard, which gives ribollita its distinctive taste. It takes three days to make ribollita properly, but it’s worth it!

The recipe, after the jump.

Recipe: Ribollita

1 ¼ c. cannelloni beans
1 tomato
½ head garlic, unpeeled
5 fresh sage leaves
1 large yellow onion
l large carrot
½ bunch parsley
4 stalks celery
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bunch cavolo nero or Swiss chard, leaves only, chopped into 2-inch pieces
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ lemon tied in cheesecloth
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. tomato paste
sea salt
dash pepper
6 slices stale ciabatta bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel
Freshly grated parmesan

Soak the beans overnight in 2 quarts of water. Buy a loaf of ciabatta and leave it out overnight.

The next day, bring the water to a boil, simmer the beans10 minutes, then drain. Fill with water to cover by 2 inches and add tomato, ½ head garlic, and sage. Simmer 1 – 1 ½ hours, covered, until beans are tender but not falling apart. The best way to tell if beans are done is to take a bean out, run it under cold water and taste it. It shouldn’t taste chalky.

Meanwhile, chop onion, carrot, and celery into ½-inch dice. Pull the leaves off the parsley stalks until you have 1 cup packed parsley leaves. Wash thoroughly and roughly chop them. Mince remaining 2 cloves garlic. Saute all in olive oil in a large saucepan or stockpot for 20 minutes.

Add the can of diced tomatoes and sauté for 20 minutes more. Salt the vegetables to taste.

When the beans are cooked, fish the tomato and garlic out of the pot with a slotted spoon. Put half the beans and the sage leaves into a food processor and puree. Salt the pureed beans to taste. Add the pureed beans, the whole beans and their cooking liquid to the sautéed vegetables.

Add the cavolo nero, thyme, lemon, bay leaf, and tomato paste to the pot and cook until flavors are blended, about 45 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as necessary.

Cut ciabatta slices in half – they will double in size, so each should be small enough to fit in a bowl. Put the bread in a casserole dish, pour the soup over it,  and refrigerate, preferably overnight.

To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover the casserole loosely with aluminum foil and heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Dress with lots of extra virgin olive oil, fleur de sel, and grated parmesan and serve.

Serves 6-8.