Ribollita

This is a great soup to make on the weekend, and with a bit of bread and wine, it’s a meal unto itself.

Ingredients

Directions

Start by making a chicken broth. To do so, add a chicken to a pot, along with 2-3 carrots, 2 ribs of celery, 1/2 – 1 onion, celery, 2 bay leaves, peppercorns, and a pinch of salt. Cover with water, bring it slowly to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cook it for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The chicken can also be reserved for another meal.

When the broth is ready, strain the broth back into the pot (just remove the solids), then add 2 cups of beans, along with 2-3 carrots, 1 onion, 1 celery rib, parsley, garlic cloves, and half a head of cabbage.

Add additional water if needed, along with white wine, then simmer your beans for approximately 1 1/2 hours until tender.

When the beans are fully cooked, puree the soup (you may have to do it in batches), then return it to your pot, season with salt and pepper, and simmer the soup to bring it to the consistency that you’d like.

When the soup is done, remove it from the heat, add the juice of 1 – 2 lemons, and mix in a bit of grated parmesan cheese.

When you’re ready to serve it, quickly sauté some fresh cabbage leaves to add to each bowl. Also add some toasted slices of bread to the bottom of each bowl, then ladle in your soup.

Finish with a bit of parsley, grated parmesan cheese, and a healthy drizzle of olive oil.