Ribollita

Kale, Beans and Bread Soup.
Literally “Reboiled” this twice-cooked soup is the epitome of peasant food, and perhaps the best representative of Tuscan cuisine. Composed of classic regional ingredients: white or borlotti beans and Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) most traditional recipes call for making a rich minestrone including onion, celery, carrot, potato, tomato, cabbage and kale (the first boil.) Story says our poor peasant ate this soup the first day for dinner, then the next they ladled the leftovers over stale bread which absorbs the broth, becoming soft, repeating layer after layer of bread and soup, this would then be “re-boiled” (or in modern restaurants slid into the oven) becoming Ribollita. Usually it is more stew than soup, often eaten with a fork instead of a spoon. The most important ingredient is the generous dose of peppery Tuscan olive oil poured on top.

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