Kookboek

Stappen

1. Stap 1

   Add your fresh or dried and soaked beans to a pan of water with the bay leaf – this will help to flavour the beans and soften their skins. Squash the tomato, peel the potato and add both to the pan. Cook until the beans are tender – taste one to check they’re nice and soft. Dried beans can take up to an hour, but check fresh ones after 25 minutes. Drain (reserving about half a glass of the cooking water), and discard the bay leaf, tomato and potato.

2. Stap 2

   Peel and finely chop your onions, carrots and garlic. Trim and finely chop the celery.

3. Stap 3

   Heat a saucepan with a splash of olive oil and add the vegetables to the pan with the ground fennel seeds and chilli. Sweat very slowly on a low heat with the lid just ajar for around 15 to 20 minutes until soft, but not brown.

4. Stap 4

   Add the tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer for a few minutes.

5. Stap 5

   Add the cooked and drained beans with a little of the water they were cooked in, and bring back to the boil.

6. Stap 6

   Finely slice the cavolo nero (stalks and all) and add to the pan – it will look like loads, but don’t worry as it will cook down.

7. Stap 7

   Tear the bread into chunks, then moisten with a little of the cooking water and stir it in too. The soup should be thick but not dry, so add a little more cooking water if you need to loosen it. Continue cooking for about 30 minutes – you want to achieve a silky, thick soup.

8. Stap 8

   Season the ribollita with sea salt and black pepper, and stir in 4 good lugs of good-quality Tuscan extra virgin olive oil before serving to give it a glossy velvety texture.