RibollitaTuscan bread soup

• 300 g1 1/2 cups dried cannellini beans, or 800 g (4 1/2 cups) cooked beans plus 2 l (8 1/2 cups) water or light broth
• 1/2 onion, 1 celery stalk and 1 garlic clove, for cooking the beans
• 90 ml6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1 onion (red or white), finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2 potatoes, peeled, diced
• 300 g10 oz cavolo nero (Tuscan black kale, lacinato), central ribs removed, cut in strips
• 250 g9 oz Savoy cabbage (verza), cut in strips
• 150 g5 oz Swiss chard (bietola), cut in strips
• 2 canned peeled tomatoes, chopped; or 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 300 g10 oz stale Tuscan bread (pane toscano, unsalted), or other firm, plain country bread, thinly sliced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

1. 1

   1. Day one: soak the beans in plenty of cold water for at least 12 hours.

2. 2

   2. Day two: drain the beans, put them in a pot with 2.5 l (10 1/2 cups) fresh water, the half onion, celery stalk and garlic clove. Simmer gently, half-covered, for 1-1 1/2 hours until creamy and tender. Salt them only at the end. Keep the beans and all their cooking liquid; discard the aromatics.

3. 3

   3. In a large heavy pot (earthenware is traditional), warm the olive oil over medium heat and cook the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery for about 10 minutes, until soft but not browned.

4. 4

   4. Add the potatoes, then the cavolo nero, Savoy cabbage and chard, and stir until the greens wilt.

5. 5

   5. Add the tomatoes and enough bean cooking liquid to cover the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, adding more liquid if needed.

6. 6

   6. Purée about two-thirds of the beans with a ladle of their liquid and stir them into the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes more, stirring often so it does not catch.

7. 7

   7. Add the remaining whole beans and check the salt. The soup should be thick but still pourable.

8. 8

   8. In a deep pot or tureen, layer slices of bread and ladles of soup until both are used up. Leave to cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

9. 9

   9. Day three (or that evening): put the soup and bread back on low heat and bring it slowly to the boil, stirring gently, for 10-15 minutes, until the bread has broken down and the soup is thick enough to hold a spoon. This reboiling is what makes it ribollita.

10. 10

    10. Serve warm, not piping hot, with a generous thread of raw olive oil, freshly ground pepper and a few thyme leaves on each bowl.