You know how you go to Panera and you want to order the creamy soup in a bread bowl but you actually order the salad because, well, you know… spring break is coming?
Yea me too.
Then this little irresistible Tuscan Ribollita dish entered my life. Ok, it’s a soup… basically, in bread and parmesan format BUT there are eight (!!!) vegetables packed into it. So it’s completely OK to eat before, during, and after spring break for a bit of comfort. Because you just know it will still be 30 degrees in April and snow at some point.
I know. It’s not OK. But this makes it all just a little bit more bearable with a glass of pinot on the side.
P.S. Thanks so much to bswift for the wonderful book. I can’t wait to cook my way through it!
- 1 cup dried cannellini or Great Northern beans
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups diced zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups diced onions
- 2/3 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup scrubbed and diced carrots
- 1/4 pound pancetta, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 head savoy cabbage, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped basil
- 2 cups cleaned spinach leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- chicken stock, if needed (I used a cup or so)
- 4 cups day-old sourdough bread
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Rinse and cover the beans with cold water and soak overnight.
- Drain the beans and place them in a saucepan with 8 cups cold water. Cook, covered, for 1 hour. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside with their liquid.
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Over medium heat, sauté the zucchini, onions, celery, carrots, pancetta, and garlic until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage, tomatoes, basil, and spinach. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
- Strain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. Purée half the beans in a food processor. Add the puréed beans, the whole beans, and their cooking liquid (8 cups) to the soup pot and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. If there is not enough cooking liquid, add some chicken stock to make up the difference.
- Add the diced sourdough bread to the soup and cook for 10 more minutes. Adjust the seasoning. Serve with the Pecorino Romano and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.