Ribollita

The Menu

Antipasto Plate

Ribollita*

Crusty Bread

I know this makes two chard recipes in a row, but it is sooooo yummy, I couldn't pass it up.  What a great way to incorporate more greens in our diet.  I made the entire recipe, and put half the finished soup in the freezer.  It's going to make a great, easy meal at the end of some busy day in the future. 

Ribollita - My version
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
4 ounces bacon, chopped                     4 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
                                                            1 Tsp tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
10 ounces chard, steamed                    1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
15 ounces cooked peruano beans         1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
2 tsp herbes de Provence
6 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
                                                            3 inch piece of Parmesan rind
1 cup spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, bacon, garlic, salt and pepper.  Go easy on the salt because the chicken broth will add almost all the salt you need.  Cook until the onion is golden brown and the bacon is crisp, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits.  Add the spinach, beans, herbes de Provence, broth, and the bay leaf.  Bring the soup to a boil, then add the spaghetti, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.


In the ingredient list you will notice some substitutions, some additions, and some ingredients left out.  I usually don't go this far with recipe modification, but when I read from Giada's book, "Broken strands of spaghetti are the starch in my family's version of ribollita,"  I felt I could make my own version with no apologies. 

Parmesan rind?  You've got to be kidding!  Canellini beans?  Ditto!  Pancetta?  Don't make me laugh!  I did the best I could with what I had and it was great!    I was true to the spaghetti.  When I get to Texas, I want to make this recipe as written in Everyday Pasta by Giada De Lautrentiis, page 72 and see if it could be any better.