Ribollita

This is my version of Ribollita, adapted from La Mia Ribollita Preferita (My Favorite Ribollita) found in Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italy.

Ribollita is Tuscany’s most famous bread soup. Ribollita means re-boiled as this soup is typically prepared ahead and then returned to a boil just before serving. Jamie’s recipe calls for cavolo nero cabbage. Of course, finding it here in Arizona is just not possible. Jamie recommends kale as a substitute, though Savoy cabbage is a more common substitute. I’ve been on a Swiss chard kick recently so I decided to use that instead. Similarly, Jamie recommends zolfini beans instead of the more commonly-used cannellini beans. It is hard enough to find cannellini beans around here. In addition, I added something that you don’t normally find in ribollitta: three anchovy filets. They dissolve into the soup and add just a bit of flavor.

Being a bread soup, trying this recipe was a good way to use up the rest of the pullman loaf I made a few days ago.

To say this was seriously good was an understatement. I have almost had to resort to an armed guard in front of the refrigerator to prevent my lovely wife from devouring the leftovers in one sitting.

Rebollitta
1 14oz can of Cannellini beans
1 tomato
1 small potato
1 medium red onion
2 carrots
3 celery stalks
3 cloves garlic
1 pinch ground fennel seeds
1 tiny pinch red chili flakes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
12-16 oz Swiss chard
2-3 fist-sized pieces of stale coarse bread, crust removed
extra virgin olive oil
3 anchovy filets, coarsly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken broth

Peel the potato. Quarter the tomato. Place a saucepan contaning 2 cups water over medium heat. Add the cannellini beans, bay leaf, potato, and tomato. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, potato, and tomato and discard them. Drain the beans, reserving about a half a cup of the cooking liquid.

Finely mince the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Using a saucepan or other vessel large enough for the finished soup, add about 2 tablespoons olive oil and place it over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, ground fennel seeds, and chili. Lower the heat to barely a simmer. Partially cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is tender but not browned. Add the can of diced tomatoes and the anchovies, and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the cooked cannellini beans along with the reserved cooking liquid. and bring to a boil. Stir in the Swiss chard and wait for it to wilt down. Tear the bread into small chunks and add it to the soup. Add chicken broth until the soup is thick but not dry.

Cook for up to an additional 30 minutes, adding additional chicken broth as necessary. Stir in 4-8 tablespoons of olive oil and serve.