Black Cabbage and Cannellini soup
This famous peasant soup is known as Ribollita. It comes from Tuscany. As the title above implies it contains Tuscan cabbage and beans, and is thickened with bread. Traditionally the soup is kept for a few days and it is reboiled each day as you serve it. Hence the name- Ribollita translates to reboiled. I know the list of ingredients looks short and severe. You may wonder about the flavour. But trust me. There is plenty in this simple soup, as long as you use good ingredients. Use fine olive oil and real bread. Do not be tempted to use plastic bread in this. You will only end up with glue soup and it will be revolting. To be honest, I prepared this yesterday because I had a hideous hangover. There isn’t much food I can handle when I feel this way. But this went down very well, with a glass of wine of course (maybe it was a bit more than one).Note-Tuscan cabbage or Cavolo nero is available from organic food shops. It used to be quite pricey a few years ago but now it is relatively inexpensive.
Ingredients
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp of olive oil, to sauté
1 bunch cavolo nero, stems cut off and the leaves chopped (you can substitute silverbeet)
1 can Italian tomatoes, chopped
1 can Italian cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (you can use borlotti beans too)
Stock to cover (I used stock powder dissolved in water)
Fresh black pepper
Aprox. 100g stale Italian style bread, crusts removed and cut into 2 cm cubes
Parmesan Cheese
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp of olive oil, to sauté
1 bunch cavolo nero, stems cut off and the leaves chopped (you can substitute silverbeet)
1 can Italian tomatoes, chopped
1 can Italian cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (you can use borlotti beans too)
Stock to cover (I used stock powder dissolved in water)
Fresh black pepper
Aprox. 100g stale Italian style bread, crusts removed and cut into 2 cm cubes
Parmesan Cheese
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Method
Sauté the onion and olive oil in a large saucepan. Keep the heat really low and cook until the onion has melted down and is beginning to colour around the edges, about 20 minutes.
Now add the cavolo, raise the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
Once the leaves are wilted and turned a brighter shade of green, add the tomatoes with their juice and cover with the stock.
Season with plenty of pepper and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the beans and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
Allow the soup to cool a little. Puree 2 ladles of the soup (in a processor or use a mouli) and return the puree to the remaining soup.
Add the bread to the soup and turn on the heat again. Use a wooden spoon to help break up the bread. It is hard to say how much bread you need. You may need more bread or you may need more water. It is meant to be thick and rough. I like it when the bread almost dissolves, but some cooks like it with the bread still holding its shape. It is up to you. Allow your taste to guide you.
Check the seasoning and the parmesan to taste, off the heat. Serve in deep bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, more pepper and more cheese.
Enough to feed 2 people with hangovers, plus plenty of leftovers.
Sauté the onion and olive oil in a large saucepan. Keep the heat really low and cook until the onion has melted down and is beginning to colour around the edges, about 20 minutes.
Now add the cavolo, raise the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
Once the leaves are wilted and turned a brighter shade of green, add the tomatoes with their juice and cover with the stock.
Season with plenty of pepper and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the beans and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
Allow the soup to cool a little. Puree 2 ladles of the soup (in a processor or use a mouli) and return the puree to the remaining soup.
Add the bread to the soup and turn on the heat again. Use a wooden spoon to help break up the bread. It is hard to say how much bread you need. You may need more bread or you may need more water. It is meant to be thick and rough. I like it when the bread almost dissolves, but some cooks like it with the bread still holding its shape. It is up to you. Allow your taste to guide you.
Check the seasoning and the parmesan to taste, off the heat. Serve in deep bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, more pepper and more cheese.
Enough to feed 2 people with hangovers, plus plenty of leftovers.
