La Ribollita: Tuscan Soup with Beans and Greens

This hearty Tuscan soup is one of our favourite winter comfort soups: hearty, healthy and warming and even better the next day. Loaded with cavolo nero and cannellini beans, it's immensely nutritious. Serve with sourdough bread and, if you'd like, a sprinkle of vegetarian Parmesan (we love Old Winchester). For more vegetarian Italian cooking inspiration, join us on our Italian Cookery Holiday!

La Ribollita

Vegan | Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• 150g kale, stem removed and leaves sliced
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 500mls vegetable stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, sliced
• Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Pinch of salt
• Lots of fresh ground black pepper

To serve
• extra virgin olive oil
• chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. In a large heavy based saucepan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add the onion, bay leaf and thyme and cook gently until the onion is softened.
2. Add the leeks, celery and carrots and sweat gently in the oil for 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, cannellini beans, cavolo nero and vegetable stock and cook covered for a further 20 minutes.
4. Remove bay leaves and thyme stalks. Ladle a third of the soup into a blender or separate pan to liquidise or mash. Return the liquidised soup to the saucepan, add salt and pepper and stir well.
5. In a small frying pan heat the remaining oil and gently fry the garlic until just browning, add parsley, stir for 1 minute then add to the soup. Check seasoning.
6. To serve, drizzle liberally with extra virgin olive oil and extra parsley.

Tips

• Traditionally the soup is reheated and served the next day as the flavour improves, hence the name ‘reboiled’. It is served over a thick slice of country style bread.
• Cavolo nero can be substituted with the outer leaves of a savoy cabbage. Other vegetables that work well are potatoes, courgettes & celeriac.
• Fresh tomatoes are used when available, peeled cored and deseeded.

Food photography by superstar Rob Wicks of Eat Pictures.

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