Ribollita, Reboiled Soup

Serving Size: 6
Preparation Time: 24:00

• 1 leek chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 small savoy cabbage chopped
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1/2 bunch Swiss chard chopped
• 6 small tomatoes chopped
• 2 cups pureed white beans pureed
• 6 slices white Italian bread
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Sautee the leek and onion in the oil and then add the carrot, cabbage, Swiss Chard, and salt and pepper. When well sweated add the pureed beans and tomatoes, and resalt and pepper. Add water to get the appropriate consistency. Gently boil for 1-2 hours.

Ribollita means reboil, so what you have to do before serving it is to cool it in the fridge overnight, and then the next day reboil it and taste for the seasonings. Then you get good bread; if it is day-old so much the better. You cut up the old bread and put it in the soup tureen, pour in the soup, and let it sit for a few minutes. This is rebolita, which of course varies from household to household.

I also saw a cook add the bread with the vegetables rather than at the end; this way the bread is the thickener used while the soup cooks. I like this idea better than adding it to the tureen.

Also, if you want some meat in the soup, I would add an Italian sausage or smoked meat while the soup is simmering.

Enjoy. Dr. Stu.

Recipe courtesy of and © by Stuart Borken.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Name	Email