The "reboiled" bread soup of Florence, born from medieval peasant frugality, layers cavolo nero (black kale), beans, and stale bread, improving each day it's reheated.
Ingredients
- 400g dried cannellini beans
- 1 bunch cavolo nero (Lacinato kale)
- 1/2 head savoy cabbage
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 onion
- 4 potatoes
- 400g stale Tuscan bread (saltless)
- 200ml olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 can tomatoes
- rosemary
- thyme
- chili flake
Instructions
1
Beans
Soak overnight. Simmer with rosemary until tender (1 hour). Reserve cooking liquid.
2
Soffritto
In large pot, sauté onion, carrot, celery in half the olive oil until soft.
3
Vegetables
Add chopped kale and cabbage, potatoes (cubed), tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes.
4
The Soup
Add beans with some of their liquid, plus water to cover. Simmer 1 hour.
5
Bread Layering
Tear bread into chunks. Layer in earthenware pot with soup. Rest 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight.
6
Reboiling
The next day, "reboil" (ribollita) the mixture, adding remaining olive oil. Serve with drizzle of raw olive oil and black pepper.