Ribollita! (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
—Not On Website, Soup
Ingredients
1/8 cup good olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta or bacon –optional (feel free to leave this out, or sub turkey bacon)
2 cups diced onions
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced fennel bulb (or sub celery)
4 – 6 cloves garlic- rough chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more to taste
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
2–3 medium tomatoes – diced (or a 14-ounce can diced tomatoes)
6 cups lacinato kale, chopped
Splash white wine
6 cups chicken or veggie stock
Parmesan rind (optional, but adds depth and flavor)
3 cups cooked cannellini beans – or use 2 cans cannellini beans (drained, minced), or great northern white beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Grated pecorino or Parmesan – optional
Crusty Bread
Rosemary Lemon Garlic Oil ( for drizzling)
½ cup good olive oil
zest of one large lemon
4 cloves garlic, sliced
few sprigs rosemary (or thyme, sage)
Directions
Make the Lemon Garlic Rosemary Oil – place all ingredients in a small jar or bowl and let sit on the counter (or make the day before, refrigerating)
In a large, heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and optional pancetta and saute 6-8 minutes.
Lower heat to med-low and add the carrots, fennel (or celery) and garlic, salt, pepper and chili flakes, and cook another 7- 9 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Add the tomatoes and lacinato kale, and a splash of white wine, and continue sauteing and stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes.
Add the stock and beans. Bring to soup to boil, turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.(You could add a Parmesan rind to the simmering soup for extra depth of flavor.)
Stir in fresh Italian Parsley. Adjust salt if necessary.
Serve in bowls with a drizzle of the flavorful lemon oil, grated Parmesan ( or Romano) and crusty bread.
Notes
NOTE: If you like a thicker soup, blend or puree 1-2 cups of the soup, and add back to the soup. Or, thicken it with day-old bread, torn into small pieces and cooked with the broth. This is the traditional way. (I prefer a brothier version of this soup, so I skip both and serve with toasty bread on the side instead.)
Keep this vegan by using veggie broth, no pancetta or parmesan. The rosemary oil will add a delicious flavor – I highly recommend it. Sometimes I’ll add a tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast for a more cheesy flavor and 1 tablespoon miso paste to add more depth. Up to you.