Ribollita
I am sometimes amazed at how many people I can be connected through the Internet. From far away places, there’s always someone who I can strike a conversation, especially about foods. This post is written because I found a friend in Australia who agreed to cook an Italian soup with me. I’ve never met her but simply because we found each other in the Internet and through a photography event, we decided it’d be fun to do this cooking together. Her name is Regina and she turned out to have the same book that I have. The book is called Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich.
The cooking was real, the eating together never happened. It didn’t matter that much because I thought I had fun cooking this. The anticipation of waiting until she did her part and finally this, writing about it. I had the book from a long time ago and I keep reminding myself to try one or two recipes. I know Lidia Bastianich is a incredibly good Italian cook and if she could be my grandmother, I’d love to have her teach me all her knowledge about Italian food. It is one of my favorite foods in the world but I don’t think I’m good at it yet.
Ribollita is a twice-boiled soup from Tuscany area, which is in southern part of Italy. Ribollita means reboiled which is really what this soup is about. Beans, vegetables, and old bread co-mingle in a soup pot and the end result is a satisfying soup. In the era of money-pinching cooking and trying to be economical about what we eat, I think ribollita is one of good examples of a friendly-budget recipe. And I am sure this soup could be freezed and reheated without losing much flavor.
Regina’s post can be found here.
Ribollita
If using dried cannellini beans, remember that the soaking time takes place a day ahead. Use canned beans which is a good substitute in a pinch. This recipe is cut in half from the original recipe.
Makes 6 servings
1 1/2 cups dried cannelini (white kidney) beans or 3 cups canned beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups cold water or 4 cups vegetable broth for canned beans method
1/4 cup extra-vigrin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the soup
1 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 pound kale or Italian kale, washed and cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 4 cups)
2 cups savoy cabbage, cored and cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 4 ounces)
1/4 pound Swiss chard leaves washed and cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 2 cups)
1 large Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes, peeld and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated (about 1 cup)
1 medium stalks celery with leaves, chopped (abou 1/2 cup)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces day-old country bread, crusts removed
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
If using dried beans, soak them in a pot/container large enough to hold the beans and pour water to cover the beans. Cover and let it soak for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Pour 4 cups of cold water into a 2-to 3-quart pot and add the beans. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans and let them cool. Put about three-quarters of them into a food processor bowl or blender. Add some cooking liquid and process the bean until smooth. Stir the bean puree into the cooking liquid. Save the remaining beans.
If using canned beans, rinsed and drained the beans well. Process three-quarter of beans the same way as you would of the dried beans. Use vegetable broth to help smoothing the beans in the food processor. Stir this bean puree into the rest of the vegetable broth. Save the remaining beans.
Heat the oil in a large stockpot. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir the tomato paste and 1/4 cup water together in a small bowl, and stir into the wilted onions. Pour in the beans puree, then add kale, cabbage, Swiss chard, potato, carrots, and celery. Pour in the beans and their cooking liquid, or the vegetable broth if using canned beans. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to simmering. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook 25 minutes. Let the soup rests for at least 30 minutes, or cool completely and refrigerate until the next day.
Stir the bread into the soup, taste, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Cook until thickened and dense, about 15-20 minutes, or longer if the soup has been refrigerated. Remove from heat, stir well and let stand about 15 minutes.
For each soup serving, sprinkle some chopped red onion and drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil on top.
Source: adapted from Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen
beannya masih ada yg utuh ya? aku punya banyak yg hancur muwur ;-p
very nice introduction, liz
you’re welcome Reg
itu dipilihin yg masih belum ancur…
Comment by Regina — March 10, 2009 @ 6:05 pm
Liz, gw ini kurang suka makanan bule, kalau masak kudu 2. kecian kan laki gw gk bisa makanan pedes. Tapi ini kelihatannya enak juga, musti gw tanya kelaki gw nih apa dia suka or ndak. kalau suka gw bikin:)
hahaha…kasian laki elo, bininya doyan pedes2 terus. kalo gue udah susah masak pedes, karena anak gue makan masakan gue, jadi kasian dia kalo kepedesan
Comment by dwiana — March 10, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
I’ve been craving soups with beans and greens in them lately so this fits the bill! Thanks.
hi Lynn…glad to help you!
Comment by Mrs. L — March 11, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
This looks lovely! I bet the house smells amazing after making this soup. Such warm, welcoming flavors.
yes, this is such a great meal for cool nights
Comment by Irene — March 12, 2009 @ 10:27 am
seneng ih yg ada beans2nya…hearty _
hey Rit, iya rasanya makan dikit aja udah penuh perutnya
Comment by mochachocolatarita — March 12, 2009 @ 7:16 pm
Wow! I love just love to have a bowl of this on a rainy day! The ingredients are very specific and I think I might have some problems getting them here. I will have to substitute.
hopefully you’ll find what you need!
Comment by Mrs Ergül — March 14, 2009 @ 8:42 am
oh what a fun thing to do together!
btw, my heart-felt congrats on you winning DMBLG, you well deserved! and many more!
thanks gattina!
Comment by gattina — March 14, 2009 @ 10:29 pm