We had a nice little tease of Summer for a few brief days last week with warm temperatures and sunny skies. What made it even better was the brilliant Fall colors in the trees. It was truly glorious. It was so nice out that we grilled turkey burgers for dinner, something we reserve for summertime.

We’re back in more typical Fall weather now and that means we are making warming soups to get us through the cooler days and evenings. This is another gem from the travel cookbook my friend Nicky gave me. It is a traditional peasant dish from Tuscany that is very popular in the Autumn, after the wine harvest is done. Ribollita (meaning reboiled) is made of beans, vegetables, and bread. Reboiled refers to the soup’s origins of reheating leftover vegetables in liquid to make a soup. Day old bread is typically added to the soup just before serving to thicken it. We also served the soup with additional crusty bread. It is a wonderful and warming hearty soup!

Tuscan Ribollita (adapted from The Gift of Soup by Debbie Maurer) Total Time Required: 2-1/4 hours, Prep Time: 1 hour, Cooking Time: 1-1/4 hours, Makes: 8+ servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into half rounds
• 2 celery stalks, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 12 ounces baby Bella and/or white mushrooms, sliced
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• 29 ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 14.5 ounces Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 14.5 ounces diced roasted garlic and onions tomatoes, undrained
• 3 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced into 1″ cubes
• 5 cups, vegetable, beef, or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 pound kale or Swiss chard, cut on the diagonal into 1″ ribbons
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2″ square of Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 loaf rustic or sourdough bread

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until they are soft, about 4 – 6 minutes.

Add the carrots and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the veggies until soft, about 5 – 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.

To a medium frying pan over medium heat, add the butter and mushrooms. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Sauté the mushrooms until they are crispy and golden brown, about 8 – 10 minutes. Remove them from the heat.

When cooled, puree the mushrooms and one can of beans together in the cup of a wand blender or in a food processor. Add the mushroom-bean mixture to the Dutch oven.

Add the remaining beans to the Dutch oven along with the stock, both cans of undrained tomatoes, potatoes, basil, oregano, and parsley. Return the pot to the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, for 15 – 20 minutes.

Add the greens, white wine, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan rind to the pot.

Simmer for another 20 – 25 minutes, until the greens are soft. Remove and discard the cheese rind.

Serve the soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and extra olive oil drizzled over the top. Tear the bread up into chunks and set it on the table to add to individual servings as a thickener for the soup. Serve the soup with additional crusty bread, if desired.

This is how we mangia bene!  ~Linda

Tuscan Ribollita (adapted from The Gift of Soup by Debbie Maurer) Total Time Required: 2-1/4 hours, Prep Time: 1 hour, Cooking Time: 1-1/4 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into half rounds
• 2 celery stalks, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 12 ounces baby Bella and/or white mushrooms, sliced
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• 29 ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 14.5 ounces Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 14.5 ounces diced roasted garlic and onions tomatoes, undrained
• 3 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced into 1″ cubes
• 5 cups, vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 pound kale or Swiss chard, cut on the diagonal into 1″ ribbons
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2″ square of Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 loaf rustic or sourdough bread

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until they are soft, about 4 – 6 minutes. Add the carrots and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the veggies until soft, about 5 – 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.

To a medium frying pan over medium heat, add the butter and mushrooms. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and garlic powder to taste. Sauté the mushrooms until they are crispy and golden brown, about 8 – 10 minutes. Remove them from the heat. When cooled, puree the mushrooms and one can of beans together in the cup of a wand blender or in a food processor. Add the mushroom-bean mixture to the Dutch oven.

Add the remaining beans to the Dutch oven along with the stock, both cans of undrained tomatoes, potatoes, basil, oregano, and parsley. Return the pot to the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, for 15 – 20 minutes.

Add the greens, white wine, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan rind to the pot. Simmer for another 20 – 25 minutes, until the greens are soft. Remove and discard the cheese rind.

Serve the soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and extra olive oil drizzled over the top. Tear the bread up into chunks and set it on the table to add to individual servings as a thickener for the soup. Serve the soup with additional crusty bread, if desired.