Tuscan Bread Soup, Ribollita

 

Tuscan Bread Soup, Ribollita

 

Lately, my three faithful readers may have noticed…sobriety is a key to whether they noticed or not….that I’ve dwelt on Italian food, and with good reason.

 

Far and away, the most important point is that Italian cuisine stands proudly shoulder-to-shoulder with French cuisine in the ever important Stroud taste test, but with one important factor that tips the scale.

 

Let’s see…hummmm….how many clichés and trite phrases so far?  I count four, but I’m just getting started.  Whoops, there’s one more!

 

Ok, back to the important factor:  Italian recipes are one hellova lot easier to make.  Tuscan Bread Soup is exactly what I mean.  Sure, there’s some dicing to do and not much of that. And best of all, the ingredients are probably in your kitchen already, but if not, it’s still only a very quick trip to the grocers.

 

Tuscan bread soup is also very adaptable. Want it vegetarian style?  Just sub vegetable stock for chicken stock. Gotta be adaptable.  After all, this was a dish for the poor, featuring stale bread.

 

One more thing, what does Ribollita mean in English?  It comes from the Italian verb ribollire, to boil, or to boil again.

 

But, I know you’re hungry, so let’s stroll into the kitchen, pour ourselves some vino and sharpen the chef’s knife.

 

Ingredients

 

1½ cups of split, then thinly diced carrots

3 cups thinly diced celery

3 cups finely cut onions  (I used a large sweet onion)

2 cans cannelloni beans, rinsed

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes (I used Polpa di Pomodoro brand.  Grown in the U.S., but very similar in taste to Italian tomatoes)

Bits of kale leaves (about 8 cups), torn off the stalks.  Some prefer to chop, but I prefer to tear by hand to prevent collateral damage, especially if I’ve been drinking heavily.

2 32oz cartons organic chicken broth

5 slices of pumpernickel bread, lightly toasted and torn into bits

Sloshes of olive oil as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Sprinkle some grated Parmesan on top, it you must. I didn’t.  This soup has a wonderfully robust flavor all by itself.

 

You’ll note, there is no garlic in this recipe. After a lovely trip to northern Italy, I found out that in the northern regions seldom are onions and garlic used in the same dish.

 

https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2017/04/lunch-with-daniela-cinque-terre-part-ii.html

I already hear the question:  Why pumpernickel and why toasted? Didn’t the Italian peasants use white bread?  Yes, they did use white bread, BUT, latest nutrition advice I’ve read says rye flour is better for you.  If you disagree, don’t worry.  I’m married.  I ‘m used to it. As for the ‘toasted’ part, I’d run out of wine waiting for the bread to go stale and a light toasting does the job just as well.

 

Another question came up:  How much is a ‘slosh’?  Well, it’s right between a little bit and WHOOPS!

 

Puttin’ it Together:

 

Slosh some olive oil in a large pot at low to medium heat.  Add the carrots, celery and onion and cook them slowly. There should be just enough oil for the vegetables to slightly glisten, but not swim for their lives. 

 

When the onions are limp (about 7 minutes), add the beans, tomatoes, kale and broth. Turn the heat up slightly and cook another ten minutes. You want the kale leaves well cooked and tender. 

 

 Add the torn bread. Stir well, breaking up the bread and allowing the soup to thicken.  Cook until it’s the thickness you like.  If you overdo it, just add more broth.

 

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

 

Salute!  Cin Cin! (chin chin)  In Italian and France, Cin-Cin means something like Health or Cheers.  

 

Note:  Where did the expression Cin-Cin come from?  I don’t know.  Nobody else does either. Fu-git-aboudid and have another glass of delicious Italian vino.