Tuscan Ribollita – A Hearty (Meatless) Meal in a Bowl

Posted: March 3, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tuscan Ribollita, from LCBO "Food & Drink" Magazine

My sister-in-law served this Tuscan Ribollita over the holidays and it was fantastic.  The recipe comes from the LCBO Food & Drink magazine.  For those of you not familiar with the magazine, it is published seasonally by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).  Each issue focuses on a variety of wines and other alcoholic beverages and offers a host of out-of-this-world recipes to accompany them.

It took me a while, but I finally got around to cooking up a pot of ribollita a couple of months ago.  Hungry, I helped myself to a bowl as soon as it was ready.  It was good.  But then I left it on the stove overnight and re-boiled it the next day … divine.  The flavors intensify as the soup sits and is cooked once again.  So, once you’ve prepared the recipe, wait if you can.  It’s worth it.

As with my brother, my sister-in-law is a more disciplined cook than me.  When she made the ribollita, she also prepared the Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil, and Ricotta Crostini pictured above.  I, on the other hand, was not quite so adventurous.  Let me say, I wish I had been.

And one last tip.  The recipe indicates that it serves 4.  Depending on serving size, my experience is that it serves 6-8.

This is a delicious, filling, healthy meal … who could ask for more?

Tuscan Ribollita
Holiday 2008
By: Tonia Wilson

Ribollita, or “reboiled” is a traditional peasant dish from Tuscany. The most authentic ribollita is eaten the day after it’s cooked, hence the reboiling. It then receives a few chunks of stale bread to soak up the liquid, a sprinkling of parmigiano and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
⅓ cup (75 mL) pancetta, finely diced
2 cups (500 mL) onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup (250 mL) carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cups (750 mL) zucchini, diced
1½ tsp (7 mL) fresh rosemary, finely chopped
½ tsp (2 mL) chili flakes
2 tsp (10 mL) garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can (540 mL) white beans, drained and rinsed
6 cups (1.5 L) Savoy cabbage, coarsely chopped
8 cups (2 L) beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large pot heat olive oil and sauté the pancetta, onion and carrots over medium heat until pancetta is golden, about 10 minutes. Add zucchini, rosemary, chili flakes and garlic and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes while breaking it up with a wooden spoon, add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add beans, cabbage and beef stock. If needed top off with water so that all the vegetables are covered. Let cook, covered, over medium heat until all vegetables are softened, adding more water if necessary. Simmer for 1 hour. Season to taste and serve.

Serves 4

Mark Bittman Swears – This is the Best Vegetable Soup Recipe, Ever

Posted: October 13, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Photo: FreeDigitalPhoto.net

The air is cooler now.  It readies me for Sunday afternoons spent cooking up a pot of something, the aroma filling the apartment, heaven.

I was casting about for a new vegetable soup recipe when, as luck would have it, Mark Bittman appeared on the Today Show with what he claims is The best vegetable soup ever, no kidding.  I’ve included the recipe below.   He also prepared a chunky Roasted butternut chowder with apple and bacon.  Both recipes are from Bittman’s new tome, “The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living.”

Like the Tuscan Ribollita that I posted back in March, these soups are not merely a starter, they’re a meal.  Do as Mark Bittman suggests in the segment, add a hunk of good, crusty bread and a glass a fruity red wine, and call it dinner.

Buon appetito!

Recipe: The best vegetable soup ever, no kidding

Mark Bittman, New York Times columnist and author of “The Food Matters Cookbook”

Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup olive oil, more or less
  • 2 onions, peeled and chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bunch parsley, washed and chopped, thick stems discarded
  • 2 or 3 cabbage leaves, chopped
  • 1 bunch chard, preferably white, washed and chopped
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 3 to 4 cups cooked white beans, like cannelloni, with their liquid if possible
Preparation

Put about a third of the olive oil in the bottom of a deep pot and turn the heat to medium.

Add half the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, which takes about 10 minutes.

Add about half of the remaining oil and repeat the process, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.

Add the remaining oil with the parsley, cabbage and chard and cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is softened but not browned.

Add the tomato paste and stir.

Mash the beans so that they’re about half mashed and half more-or-less whole. Add this mixture to the pot, along with any bean cooking liquid and enough water to make the whole mixture stewy but not watery.

Continue cooking, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as necessary, until all the vegetables are very tender and the soup is hot. Serve hot or warm.

Serving Size

Makes about 10 servings