Ribollita is not a recipe so much as a rescue. Its name means _reboiled_, and the soup is designed to be made once, eaten the next day, and improved in the pan a third time before it disappears. In Tuscan kitchens this is not thrift, it is the shape the dish is supposed to take.
On a rainy evening in Montalcino, with the fog pulled down to the olive grove and nothing in particular to do until morning, ribollita is the only correct answer.
What you need
- A good half-head of cavolo nero, stems removed, torn.
- A handful of Swiss chard or savoy cabbage, whatever the garden has.
- One can, or a jar, of cannellini beans, with their liquid.
- Two carrots, two ribs of celery, one white onion, all diced small.
- Three cloves of garlic, sliced thin.
- A tin of good whole tomatoes, crushed by hand.
- A quart of light stock, or water with a parmesan rind.
- Stale country bread, torn in rough pieces.
- Olive oil, generous, green, Tuscan if you can find it.
- Salt. Pepper. A bay leaf. A sprig of rosemary.
The method, unhurried
Sweat the onion, carrot, and celery in a wide pot with olive oil, ten minutes, until they give up their water. Add the garlic, then the tomatoes, and let it cook down for another ten. Add the stock, the beans with their liquid, the bay leaf and rosemary, and the greens. Simmer uncovered for forty minutes, so the pot reduces and concentrates.
