Ribollita Soup

I had thought about making the Barefoot Contessa's Ribollita for a while. Then I heard a friend of mine say that not only did she make it, it turned out to be the best soup she had ever made. I quickly assembled all of the ingredients and made it as soon as I could. Since then, I have made it three times and it has become one of my all-time favourite soups. The recipe is in the "Barefoot Contessa At Home" cookbook. When this cookbook first came out, I was underwhelmed but since then, I have made several recipes from this book and as usual, Ina doesn't disappoint.

Ribollita is an Italian soup that was created to use up leftover vegetables and bread. I have never actually used bread in this soup but I am sure it would make an even more substantial meal. I think if I were to use bread in this soup, it would soak up all of the broth, and with all of the ingredients in this, there isn't a lot of broth to begin with. I have added a Parmesan cheese rind or two, when I have them. I buy a big chunk of Parmigiana Reggiano at Costco and I grate it up and freeze it in litre containers. The last one I did made almost 10 cups of grated Parmesan. Then I keep the hard rinds and put them in the freezer. I throw a couple into the pot when I am making spaghetti sauce and now I also use them in this soup.

Kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables you can get and I am always looking for interesting, tasty ways to prepare it. One of the reasons I love this soup is because of the kale. I found some really nice looking kale yesterday at the Clean Food Connection and brought it home, washed it, and then chopped it in the food processor. It is chopped quite fine and I can use this in many things without anyone really noticing. Sometimes I add it to the kid's smoothies in the morning and they have no idea, drinking it down like any other smoothie. I am no Jessica Seinfeld, but yes, I am a mean mother.

There are a few other things that I have learned since making this soup. I thought that 1/4 lb. of pancetta didn't seem like much so for one of the batches, I used a half pound. I think it was too much of a good thing and I preferred the pancetta to be more of a background ingredient. I have also substituted the fresh basil with frozen pesto from the summertime, and even left the basil out altogether. Whatever works for you will be fine. This soup definitely improves with age and I can't guarantee that your kids will like it, but most adults will more than likely be very happy to sit down to a meal of this. This soup tastes great with fresh cornbread, hot out of the oven. (see November 1, 2007)

Ribollita

1/2 lb. dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
kosher salt
1/4 c. good olive oil, plus extra for serving
1/4 lb. large-diced pancetta or smoked bacon
2 c. chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 c. chopped carrots (3 carrots)
1 c. chopped celery (3 stalks)
3 T. minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 - 28oz. can Italian plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil leaves
6 c. chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 or 2 pieces of Parmigiana Reggiano rind, if you have any
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by at least 1 inch and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to soak overnight in the fridge.
2. Drain the beans, place them in a large pot with 8 cups water, and bring them to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the pancetta and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 T. of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7-10 minutes.
4. Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup, along with the cheese rinds if you have any, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
5. Taste for seasoning and serve hot in large bowls with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and drizzled with olive oil. Don't eat the cheese rinds. Just leave them in the soup pot and they will continue to flavour the soup each time you reheat it.