Italian Riboletta Soup Recipes

RIBOLLITA (REBOILED ITALIAN CABBAGE SOUP)

Steps:

• Sort and rinse the beans before placing them in a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain.
• Place the beans, chicken broth, garlic, sage leaves, bay leaves, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours. Cool. Remove 1 cup of beans. Discard the bay leaves and sage leaves. Blend the remaining bean mixture with a hand mixer until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until transparent, about 10 minutes. Combine the carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, Swiss chard, and kale with the onions. Stir in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and cook until greens have wilted, stirring at least once, about 20 minutes. Stir in the pureed bean mixture, and cook 40 minute until the mixture thickens. Stir in the reserved beans. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add the toasted bread slices; cook until bread is soaked, about 10 minutes longer. Cool, and refrigerate overnight.
• Reheat the soup over low heat until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve each serving garnished with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

ITALIAN RIBOLLITA (VEGETABLE AND BREAD SOUP)

Steps:

• Place the olive oil in a deep pan and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the carrots, celery, potatoes, zucchini, and leek. Stir and cook 5 minutes more. Pour in the hot water to cover the vegetables. Stir in the Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage, and kale. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Place 1 can of beans in a blender or food processor bowl. Blend until smooth. Stir pureed beans into the vegetable mixture along with the second can of beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato puree.
• Prepare the soup by layering slices of bread with the vegetable mixture in a casserole or soup dish. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• To serve the soup, place in a pot, and reheat over medium heat. Serve hot.

ITALIAN RIBOLETTA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions, garlic, celery and carrot until the onion is soft.
• Stir in bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, water, tomatoes, thyme, cabbage, potato, and cooked beans. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, or until beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(1175 degrees C). In a 4 quart casserole dish, place 1/3 of the mixture over the bottom. Layer 3 of the stale pieces of bread over the top. Place another 1/3 of the soup mixture over the bread followed by remaining 3 slices of bread. Top with remaining 1/3 of soup.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until soup is bubbling and cheese is light golden.

RIBOLLITA (ITALIAN VEGETABLE AND BREAD SOUP)

Steps:

• First take one of your onions, and chop it so that you have one cup of chopped onions.
• Heat 2 tablespoons in a large oven-safe pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once heated, add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper, and let the vegetables sauté for about 10 minutes, until soft and just starting to gain a little color. You may want to reduce the heat a little once the veggies get going.
• Keep an eye on the sautéing vegetables while you slice the remaining two onions. You want to have round slices that will hold their shape and not fall apart. You can probably get 8-9 slices out of a large onion. Set aside.
• Drain and rinse one can of the beans, then place in a food processor to puree. If you don't have a food processor you can mash with a fork or potato masher. Pureeing the beans helps to give the soup its distinctive texture. Drain the rinse the second can of beans, but leave those beans whole.
• By now your vegetables should be nicely sautéed. Stir in the oregano, tomatoes, beans, and tomato paste, and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 5 cups of vegetable broth to the pot, and bring the soup to a steady simmer. Add the parmesan rind, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
• Arrange your oven racks so that your pot will fit in your oven. Heat your oven to 500 degrees.
• Stir in the swiss chard or kale, then place the slices of bread on top of the soup, arranging them in a single flat layer so they do not overlap. I like to cut the slices of bread in half to make this easy.
• Next, arrange the onions on top the bread, letting them overlap slightly. You want the liquid of the soup to be just reaching the onions, if it isn't, go ahead an add more broth to the soup. Now take that 1/4 cup of olive oil, and brush half of it over the onions.
• Sprinkle half of the Parmesan on top.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven. Check the amount of liquid in the pot, adding more if necessary. You want the liquid to be just reaching those onions - it is better to have extra liquid than to have your soup dry out or overcook. Next brush the remaining olive oil over onions, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Return the soup to the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.
• Remove the soup from the oven, and stir it up. It is meant to be very thick, but you can always add more broth if you find it to be too thick. Sometimes I just top off each bowl of soup with a few tablespoons of extra broth.
• Traditionally Ribollita is served with olive oil poured in the shape of the letter "C" on top, and no cheese. I however, I do like to sprinkle Parmesan over the soup. Please don't tell the Italians. I also garnish with some fresh basil with adds a burst of fresh flavor to the soup.

RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and celery; cook until crisp-tender, 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add next 7 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. , Stir in bread; cook and stir until bread is softened. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

RIBOLLITA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is soft (about 5 minutes).
• Add the garlic and fry 1 more minute.
• Add the tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind.
• Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add the pasta, reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 10 mminute).
• Discard the cheese rind. Taste for seasoning, and season with salt if nessasary. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by 1-inch and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator.
• Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring 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.
• 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 tablespoon 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 cabbage, if using, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.
• 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 and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
• Add the bread to the soup and simmer for 10 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve hot in large bowls sprinkled with Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.