25g extra virgin olive oil (plus more for cooking the beans and serving)
180g canned peeled tomatoes
1 potato
80g onion
80g carrot
100g celery
1 clove garlic (for the beans)
1 sprig fresh rosemary (for the beans)
Black pepper, to taste
Fine salt, to taste
Dried chili flakes, to taste
Fresh thyme, to taste
Instructions
To prepare the ribollita, start by cooking the cannellini beans: place them in a bowl full of water to soak for at least one full night, or ideally for 24 hours.
After soaking, heat some olive oil in a large, deep pot with the garlic clove and rosemary sprig. Add the drained beans, cover with water, and cook with the lid on over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Once cooked, season with salt and black pepper. Remove the rosemary sprig, scoop out a portion of whole beans, and set them aside to add at the end.
Blend the remaining beans and their cooking liquid with an immersion blender to obtain a smooth broth, which will be used to cook the soup.
Now prepare the soffritto: peel and finely chop the onion, wash and finely chop the celery, and peel and finely dice the carrot.
In a large pot, heat 25g of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the chopped onion, celery, and carrot over moderate heat. While the soffritto softens, peel the potato and cut it into small cubes.
Add the diced potato to the soffritto and continue cooking. Meanwhile, place the peeled tomatoes in a bowl, crush them with a fork, and add them to the vegetables in the pot.
While cooking continues, prepare the leafy greens: cut the Savoy cabbage in half, remove the tough inner core, and slice it into strips (julienne). Wash and roughly chop the Swiss chard, and wash and chop the Tuscan kale leaves.
Add the cabbage, chard, and kale to the pot. Pour in the blended bean broth, stir, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, remove the lid and cook for another 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the soup is ready, adjust the salt and pepper to taste, stir in the reserved whole beans, and turn off the heat.
Cut the stale bread into thick slices. Place a layer of bread slices at the bottom of a large bowl or tureen, cover with a couple of ladles of soup, add another layer of bread, and top with more soup. Continue alternating layers until all ingredients are used. Let it cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
After resting, take the ribollita out: the bread will have absorbed the liquid, giving the dish a semi-solid texture. Transfer it into a pot, bring it back to a boil ("reboil" / ribollire), and season with chili flakes and fresh thyme leaves.
Your ribollita is ready to be served hot, finished with a generous drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil!
