← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus plenty to serve
• 1 Onion, diced
• 2 Carrot, diced
• 2 sticks Celery, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, sliced
• 1 pinch Chilli flakes (optional)
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 1 can tin of chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 cans tins of cannellini beans (400 g each), drained
• 1.5 l vegetable stock or water
• 300 g cavolo nero, stripped from the stalks and shredded
• 200 g savoy cabbage, shredded
• 150 g stale crusty bread, torn into chunks
• salt and black pepper

Method

1. Warm the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 10–12 min, until soft. Add the garlic, chilli and thyme for 1 minute.
2. Tip in the tomatoes, potatoes, stock and half the beans. Mash the remaining beans roughly with a fork and stir them in too; they thicken the soup. Simmer for 20 min.
3. Add the cavolo nero and cabbage and simmer for 30 min more, until the greens are very tender and the potatoes start to collapse.
4. Stir in the bread and simmer for 10 min, stirring often, until it breaks down and the soup turns thick and porridge-like. Season well.
5. Take it off the heat and rest for 10 min. Serve with a generous swirl of your best olive oil and black pepper.

Tips

• Ribollita means “reboiled”: it is even better made a day ahead and reheated, loosened with a splash of water.
• Check that your bread and stock are vegan; most plain crusty loaves are.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Great Italian Chefs Jamie Oliver