Ribollita (Vegetable, Bean and Stale Bread Soup)

Ingredients

• 5 slices bread peasant style cut into coarse cubes or torn into pieces
• 2  carrots chopped
• 2 small ribs celery with leafy tops, chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock see 
• 1 cup borlotti beans dried for 4 hours
• 0.5 cup cooking wine dry white
• 0.3 cup evoo for drizzling at the table
• 1  bay leaf fresh
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 9 servings grates of nutmeg 
• 2  onions peeled chopped
• 6 servings parmigiano-reggiano rind freshly grated
• 6 servings herb bundle of parsley fresh
• 1 small onion white red finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon pepper flakes red crushed
• 6 servings salt and pepper black freshly ground
• 0.5 small savoy cabbage cored chopped
• 1 bunch swiss chard stemmed trimmed chopped (also known as lacinato or dinosaur) ( 12 ounces greens)
• 2 cups tomato purée 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• ladle
• oven
• pot
• wooden spoon
• aluminum foil
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Watch how to make this recipe.
2. Variations: For a sweeter soup, add chopped fennel to your mix. For autumn, add zucchini or butternut squash to your blend.
3. Drain the beans and place in a pot with 4 cups chicken stock, 1 clove garlic, half an onion and some salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Bake the bread until deeply golden and toasted. Store in foil.
6. Heat 1/4 cup EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven.
7. Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, remaining 3 cloves garlic, chile flakes, bay leaf and herb bundle. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered, to soften, about 5 minutes.
8. Add the wine, kale, cabbage and a little nutmeg. Stir. Wilt the greens, partially covered, 5 to 6 minutes more.
9. Add the beans and their liquids and the tomato puree. Stir.
10. Add 2 cups more stock (reserve 2 cups for the night you serve).
11. Add the cheese rind to the soup. Simmer to combine flavors, 15 minutes.
12. Remove 3 cups of the beans and vegetables, about half the soup, to food processor and puree. Then add back to pot. Cool and store the soup for a make-ahead meal.
13. To serve, heat the soup over medium heat, add the bread to the soup and let it absorb the liquid. Thin the soup with the remaining 2 cups of stock. Taste to adjust seasoning.
14. Remove the herb bundle, rind and bay leaf. The ribollita is done when a wooden spoon can stand straight up in the soup. Ladle into shallow bowls and garnish with a generous drizzle of EVOO, finely chopped raw onion and cheese. Leftover soup can be fried in olive oil in a skillet like potato pancakes or hash, and topped with over easy or fried eggs.