Ribollita

Ingredients

• •Cannellini beans
• •Cavolo nero (Tuscan kale)
• •Carrots
• •Celery
• •Onion
• •Stale bread
• •Tomato
• •Olive oil
• •Garlic

Steps

1. 1Soak dried cannellini beans overnight, then simmer them in water with a bay leaf until soft, and set aside a portion to mash into a paste.
2. 2Sauté chopped onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil over medium heat for about ten minutes, until softened and fragrant.
3. 3Stir in chopped tomato and cook for a few minutes until it breaks down slightly.
4. 4Add the whole beans, the mashed bean paste, and enough of the bean cooking liquid to make a loose soup, then simmer for twenty minutes.
5. 5Add torn cavolo nero leaves and continue simmering until the greens turn tender and deep green.
6. 6Tear stale, dense country bread into chunks and stir it directly into the pot, letting it soak up the broth and thicken the soup as it sits off the heat.
7. 7Traditionally the soup is made a day ahead and reheated, or reboiled, the next day, which is where its name comes from.
8. 8Ladle into bowls and finish with a generous drizzle of good olive oil before serving.