Alastair Little

Ribollita

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • 8–10

    people

Appears in

Alastair Little's Italian Kitchen

Alastair Little's Italian Kitchen

By Alastair Little

Published 1996

Much complicated nonsense is talked about this Tuscan soup. As its name implies, it is simply a re-boiled soup or, more accurately, re-boiled minestrone. Any bean-based minestrone will do, but the Winter Minestrone recipe is definitely a good candidate. Be careful, as it remains very hot for 20 minutes or so out of the oven. With it, drink cheap, cheerful and abundant Sangiovese (Chianti).

Ingredients

  • 2 litres Winter Minestrone, omitting the greens
  • 8 good slices stale bread (sliced white will not do)
  • 200 g cavolo nero, winter greens or outer leaves of Savoy cabbage, shredded
  • 100 g Parmesan, freshly grated
  • good olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Purée half the minestrone, and combine with the unpuréed half. Mix with the shredded cavolo nero. Put a little in an ovenproof casserole then arrange slices of stale bread to cover the base, slightly overlapping them. Add a little more minestrone, then another layer of bread and the rest of the minestrone. Sprinkle the top with a little Parmesan and a little oil. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Cover loosely if the top gets too brown.

© 1996 Alastair Little. All rights reserved.

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