Recipe for Tuscan Ribbolita soup – for 4


Ribbolita used to be eaten by the peasants after a hard day toiling in the fields. When it is cooked, it should have only a little liquid and lots of vegetables. I first had it on a cold spring day at a family run restaurant in a village in Tuscany. The soup was so delicious that I had a second helping. The owner, who was a friend, was disappointed when I told her that I couldn’t eat anything more afterwards and so was I. Nonetheless, every time I go to this restaurant, I can’t resist that second helping.

Ingredients
• ½ cabbage chopped

• Can tomatoes

• 2-3 sticks celery chopped roughly

• 1 onion chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

• 200gm of white cannelini beans

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• Grated parmesan

• 2 slices of ciabbata or baguette


Method

• Drain beans and wash them under cold water. Divide them into half

• Sauté onions and garlic until soft

• Add celery and cabbage, can of tomatoes and half of the beans

• 1 ½ litres of water

• Bring to boil and simmer for half an hour.

• Puree the other half of the beans with a little of the liquid and add to the soup. This thickens it up

• Put bread into soup bowls and pour soup over

• Serve with grated parmesan