TUSCAN SOUPS ---FROM FLORENCE
A nice young lady from Florence told me about this recipe when I was flying home. Thanks Laura.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rach ... index.html
Papa al Pomodoro
Ingredients
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3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, plus some for drizzling
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 quart chicken stock
4 cups, about 1/2 pound, chopped or torn stale bread
2 (15-ounce) cans small white beans, such as Goya brand (smaller than cannellini beans)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to pass at table
10 fresh basil leaves, torn, optional
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Directions
Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and 3/4 of the onion. Cook 7 to 8 minutes, then add tomatoes and crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add stock and raise heat to make the soup bubble. Reduce heat to simmer and add bread and beans. Stir soup as it simmers until it thickens to a stew-like consistency. Turn off heat, adjust seasonings and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with grated cheese, an additional drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a spoonful of reserved finely chopped raw onions. Torn basil is an optional garnish.
While in Florence , we at Giannino's on San Lorenzo . The Ribolita was out of this world.
Ribolita
http://www.gianninoinflorence.com/index.htm
Tuscan Recipes: La Ribollita
Ingredients are on the site in a picture format... a little box ... Go to the site.
Soak the dried beans and cook over a slow flame. In a pan, gently fry the onion, sliced. Add the other vegetables, diced, with the exception of the cabbage, kale and beans which are added at a later point.
When the vegetables have sweated out their juice, cover with hot water and then add all the cabbage and kale, shredded. Cover and simmer for an hour over medium heat. Add the cooked beans (some of them whole and some puréed), salt and pepper.
Leave to simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring frequently because the beans tend to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add two or three tablespoons of tomato purée.
Slice the stale bread and, in an earthenware casserole, alternate layers of bread with the soup until the bread is well impregnated.
Leave to stand for a day. To serve, remove the desired quantityfrom the casserole and heat it up or 're-boil' it as the name in Italian suggests...
What a lot of things the famous (though rather poorly imitated) ribollita brings to mind! Few nowadays know how to cook it properly, because it requires a lot of love and time and, of course, simple but genuine ingredients.
In my memory, my grandmother's dirge in particular stands out, 'Seven things does this soup do: it uses up all leftover bread and quenches the thirst, it fills up the stomach and gives the tooth something to chew on, it aids sleep and the digestion, and it makes cheeks glow'.
HARVEST RIBOLITA
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mich ... index.html
Ingredients
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3 (12-ounce) jars cannellini beans
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 pound smoked ham hock or 1/2 pound chunk prosciutto
3 cloves garlic, chopped, plus 1 whole clove
6 cups water, divided
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 leek, white and light green only, minced and rinsed
1 yellow onion, minced
1 carrot, small diced
1 celery stalk, small diced
2 bay leaf
1 pound Tuscan black cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound napa cabbage, chopped
3/4 cup, tomato puree
6 slices Italian bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick
Freshly grated Parmesan
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Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Drain beans in a colander and gently rinse under cold water.
With 3 tablespoons of the oil saute the ham hocks, when brown turn over and add 1 clove chopped garlic. Add 3 cups cold water and beans, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs.
In a soup pot add 1/4 cup oil, and remaining chopped garlic. Cook until light brown and add leek, onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaf. Saute for 8 minutes over medium heat until slightly soft. Add the cabbages and saute for 5 minutes. Add remaining 3 cups water and the tomato puree. Cook for 20 minutes. Add to beans and continue to cook for 20 more minutes. Remove ham hock. When cool chop the meat, and add back to the soup discarding the hock bones.
Place bread in oven until lightly browned. Remove from oven and rub with a clove of garlic. Brush with remaining olive oil.
When ready to eat bring the soup back to a simmer and add bread. Stir until well broken up. Serve with a healthy drizzle of olive oil and fresh grated Parmesan
Ribolita
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina- ... index.html
Ingredients
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1/2 pound dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
Kosher salt
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus extra for serving
1/4 pound large diced pancetta or smoked bacon
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped carrots (3 carrots)
1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
3 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
4 cups coarsely chopped or shredded savoy cabbage, optional
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
4 cups sourdough bread cubes, crusts removed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
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Directions
In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by 1-inch and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator.
Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the pancetta and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage, if using, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.
Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Add the bread to the soup and simmer for 10 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve hot in large bowls sprinkled with Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.
