International Recipes
Ribollita (Tuscan Vegetable Soup)
Ribollita literally means "re-boiled." It usually consists of leftovers that are reheated with the addition of beans. In Tuscany, olive oil is served as a condiment to be poured into the soup at the table.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried cannellini beans
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups diced zucchini
- 1/4 pound green beans, topped, tailed and cut into short pieces
- 6 slices white bread
- 1 pound green cabbage, sliced
- Olive oil
- Water
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Begin preparation the day before you plan to serve the soup.
- Put dried beans in a pan with 1 1/2 pints of cold water and bring to boil. Turn off heat and leave beans to soak for 1 hour.
- Heat some olive oil in a large pan and add garlic, onion, carrot, celery and leek and sauté gently for 5 inutes.
- Add drained beans, tomatoes and 3 pints cold water. Simmer gently for 1 hour or until beans are tender. Halfway
through cooking beans, add zucchini and green beans.
- Refrigerate the soup overnight.
- The next day cook cabbage in boiling water and re-heat soup.
- Put a slice of bread in the bottom of individual, warmed soup dishes.
- Drain cabbage and pile onto the bread.
- Adjust seasoning of the soup to taste and ladle into soup dishes.
- Serve with a jug of olive oil so that each person can pour some into their soup.