Ribollita [Photo credits: skinnydiver http://ow.ly/gBatj]
We commonly call it ribollita because it is consumed the day after its preparation when it is warmed up in a pot with extra olive oil and reboiled. Ribollita is simple, inexpensive and made with stale unsalted Tuscan bread and a variety of vegetables including the typical Tuscan kale. Bread soup, and therefore ribollita too, are typically winter dishes also because the main ingredient – Tuscan kale – is a vegetable that can be found exclusively in winter.
The version I decided to post is the certified one, on May 24th 2001, the florentine Delegation of the Italian Cooking Academy stated this is the ”Ribollita DOC“ recipe and signed this official document. Although this is the official tuscan bread soup, you don’t have to strictly stick to it, remember that this was a poor dish made from whatever vegetables were on hand, use your imagination and don’t worry about getting it wrong.
Reboiled Soup a.k.a. Ribollita recipe
- 400 g dried cannellini beans
- 400 g of dried unsalted bread
- 400 g of Tuscan kale
- 700 g white cabbage
- 300 g swiss chard
- 2 medium sized potatoes
- 1 spoon of tomato paste
- thyme
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 carrots
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Soak the beans overnight then discard the water and boil them in abundant water until soft adding salt towards the end. Drain them (keeping the water), blend half of them in a food mixer and keep 1/3 of the beans whole.
- Chop the carrot, celery, onion, garlic and sauté with oil in a large saucepan with some thyme. After a few minutes add the cut up potatoes and the other vegetables together with the spoonful of tomato paste that you need to melt in a little warm water.
- Next pour in the liquid that you kept aside when boiling the beans and the purèed beans and let the soup cook at a low temperature for an hour, just before you finish cooking the vegetables add the beans.
- Slice the bread into thin slices and place them into the pot with the soup and stir for a few minutes. Take the pot away from the stove and add salt, pepper and some olive oil.
- Now, at this point you should leave your soup to rest…..if you can’t wait go ahead and taste it knowing that in this phase it is not a ribollita soup, since it hasn’t reboiled! The next day use some olive oil to reboil it for a few minutes and pour a little extra virgin olive oil.
![[Photo credits: Cooperativa Zenzero http://ow.ly/gJDqq]](http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allthingstuscany/tuscanycious/files/2012/10/foto1.jpg)
Wow, i live in Tuscany and didn’t even know that the we had an official document about “Ribollita DOC”:)
By the way i’ve never used thyme… is it fundamental?
yup…in 2001 it was signed by the culinary academy after great research! so use your imagination but keep the authentic ribollita in mind, you should use thyme, but if you don’t it’s ok, whereas there should never be any grated cheese or tomatoes!!
I have had Tuscan Bread Soup before – it is delicious! This is the first recipe I’ve seen for it … I will have to give it a go.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ciaolaura, Voglio Vivere Cosi and Voglio Vivere Cosi, Luciana Bianchi. Luciana Bianchi said: RT @Tuscanycious: Reboiled soup aka ribollita, here is the version approved by italian culinary academy http://ow.ly/Wmo4 [...]
I didn’t know that there was an official DOC either. I’m glad to see that officially, the recipe IS vegetarian. Unfortunately, I fear that many restaurants manage to stick in a good meat-broth cube to wreck it
(
I have lunch almost every day at the resturant so I have to control what I eat. Ribollita is a perfect dish: it is full of good ingredients, such as vegetables and Tuscan oil. I always choose this bread soup when I find it into the day-menu
Wow, this sounds delicious and not too complicated. A good soup during a cold winter is a must!
I had ribollita a couple of days ago. I couldn’t find the kale, which I think is the equivalent of the Cavolo Nero, but the ribollita was good. By the way I am an honorary member of the Rugby team called i Ribolliti.
Ciao,
Filigiakke
I ADORE Ribollita and cannot WAIT to make a few rounds of it in my kitchen (in Florence!)
Is now 2 am for me I just finish to serve 320 people, lobster hearth ravioli in a white truffle bisque sauce, a grapes tossed with red and white baby Belgian endive with Italian gorgonzola cheese, candied pecan a light strawberry vinaigrette, choice of slow roasted Jhon dory filet on lemon basil zucchini marmelade, white asparagus and pearls garden vegetable, or grilled prime beef filet on Portobello mushrooms and sliced thyme baked potatoes.
For dessert flourless dense hearth chocolate on a espresso zabaione and 24 karat gold leaf.
Of course the ribollita is not the appropiate dish to be serve on Valentine, because after you this soup is so rich of natural healthy vegetables, and the bread braked inside it is a superb texture for this Tuscan soup, don't forget a drizzle of a top brand of a D.O.P Tuscan extra virgin olive at the end is really when the smell of it is surrounding all over your palate.
I really love “ribollita”. Is one of my favor soup to make http://tuscanycuisine.com/zuppa/Soups.html .
Great recipes tuscanycious, my congratulation.
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Thank you for sharing this great recipe. Ribollita is the best!
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[...] we saw in many other recipes, like panzanella, bruschetta, ribollita and now pappa al pomodoro in tuscan cuisine the use of unsalted and/or stale bread is very common. [...]
la ribollita è decisamente uno di quei piatti tipici della toscana che nonhanno eguali!
This is definitely a soup that is going to be made very soon in my kitchen.
[...] Ribollita – tuscany’s most famous soup can’t be found in the summer (fresh) as its [...]
when we were in Tuscany in April we had a soup made with beans that were cooked in a flask alongside the kitchen’s stove. Would this be a traditional way of cooking the beans?
Hi! Those are called al fiasco, must have been a nice place they rarely make them anymore whereas this other recipe is easier and just as authentic! Thanks for stopping by
http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allthingstuscany/tuscanycious/fagioli-allucceletto-tuscan-style-beans/
[...] 7. Ribollita [...]