Ribollita

Ribollita is a famous Tuscan bread soup. You can use a variety of different vegetables that you have, with the core ingredients being the beans, kale and of course bread. The fennel and celery give a distinct depth. 

Serves 1, with plenty left over for the following days

Ingredients

• 4 tblsp olive oil, plus extra for serving 

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 head of fennel, diced

• 4 sticks of celery, chopped

• 1 carrot, chopped

• 1 bunch of cavolo nero, leaves stripped

• 4 cloves of garlic, grated

• 1 lemon, zest

• 1 tin of whole tomatoes, best you can find

• 1 tin of cannellini beans

• 1 pinch of chilli flakes

• ½ loaf of stale bread, torn into chunks

• Parmesan for finishing

Method

Heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to fit everything in comfortably. Sweat the onion, celery, carrot and garlic on a medium heat until cooked and softened. Add in the lemon zest and stir through before adding in the tomato. Allow the tomatoes to cook and thicken for 5 minutes before adding in the cannellini beans, chilli and just enough extra water to cover. This is a thick soup so don’t drown it. Allow everything to simmer together and get to know each other for a further 10 minutes. Finish by adding in the cavolo nero and torn bread chunks. Allow the bread to soak up moisture and the cabbage to braise for 10 more minutes. Season with plenty of salt and pepper, ladle into a bowl and grate Parmesan on top along with plenty of olive oil. This soup will keep well in the fridge for several days and improve with time, so enjoy.  

Movie Recommendation: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) 
With the weather as grey and wet as it is, we're all in need of some Tuscan sun. Accompanied by this heartfelt, easy-to-watch rom-com, a bowl of ribolita (Tuscan bread soup) will surely transport you to the warm Italian countryside.