Storytelling

Ribollita

The best foods come from making do, not wasting, and, once learned, knowing how to tease the best flavors out of what is on hand. Look at any cuisine and notice that the most significant influences come from those who had little, scrounged, and stretched.

When I taught World Cuisines at an unnamed culinary school, I called them “The Cuisines of Poverty, War, and Transition,” hoping the students would realize that the foods we cherish came from people sharing their experiences and ingenuity. Maybe that would help the students see that food and cooking is really stories.

This Italian-influenced soup is a perfect example of stretching and not wasting. It’s the ideal clean-out-the-fridge soup, loaded with vegetables that may have seen fresher days and bread that has turned stale. Cooking transform them into something magical, nourishing, filling, and more-ish, with people typically asking for seconds.

NOTE: This soup is even better on the second day.

RIBOLLITA - ITALIAN BEAN, VEGETABLE, and BREAD SOUP

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• ½ onion, peeled and small diced

• salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

• 1 celery rib, washed, trimmed, and small diced

• 1 carrot, washed, peeled, and small diced

• ½ jalapeño, washed. stemmed, seeds and membrane removed, minced

• 8 cherry tomatoes, washed and sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 1 14-ounce can of cannellini beans

• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste

• water or stock

• 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried oregano

• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and sliced into bite-sized pieces.

• 2 to 4 slices of stale bread —I used day-old cornbread

• ¼ shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 to 4 Tablespoons fresh parmesan, grated

• 1 to 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley leaves, washed and chopped

METHOD

1. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.

2. Stir in the onions and cook until they begin to brown.

3. Season with a pinch of salt, black pepper, and red chili flakes.

4. Stir in the celery, carrot, jalapeño, cherry tomatoes, and garlic.

5. Cook for about 3 minutes.

6. Pour lemon juice into the pan with the vegetables.

7. Reduce the liquid to almost dry.

8. Stir in the beans and tomato paste, and cover with just enough water or stock to cover the vegetables.

9. Season with oregano.

10. Bring the pot to a boil before reducing it to a simmer.

11. Simmer for 20 minutes

12. Stir in the kale and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.

13. Set the oven to broil.

14. Top the bread with a thin slice of shallot.

15. Sprinkle the shallot with a bit of salt before topping it with the parmesan cheese.

16. Place the bread under the broiler and broil until the cheese is golden brown.

17. Ladle the soup into warm bowls.

18. Garnish with the parmesan bread and a sprinkling of parsley.

19. Serve immediately.