A thick, peppery soup of beans, dark leaves and torn bread, with a slick of good olive oil on top. Cheap, warming and better on day two.
Cavolo nero from J. Holland and Son, Watkinson's Farm, Lathom, Lancashire. Cavolo nero is at its best now. The cold sweetens the leaves, and they can simmer for a long time without going limp, which is what ribollita needs. Leeks give a soft, sweet base instead of onion.
Serves 4 · Prep 20 min · Cook 50 min
You'll need
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
- 2 leeks, halved, washed and sliced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 2 400g tins of cannellini beans, drained
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 200g cavolo nero, leaves stripped from stalks and torn, stalks finely sliced
- 150g stale sourdough, torn into chunks
- salt, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon
Method
- Warm the olive oil in a large pan over a medium-low heat. Add the leeks, carrots, the sliced cavolo nero stalks and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the leeks are soft and sweet but not browned.
- Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans and stock. Mash about a third of the beans against the side of the pan to thicken the soup. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the cavolo nero leaves and simmer for 10 minutes, until they are dark and tender but still have some chew.
- Stir in the bread and simmer for 5 more minutes, until it collapses and the soup is thick enough to hold a spoon upright. Add a splash of water if it gets too stiff.
- Season well with salt, plenty of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Serve in warm bowls with a generous pour of olive oil over each.
Serve with: a wedge of Parmesan-style hard cheese to grate over, or a crumble of feta.
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