Florentine Bean Soup

Name: Florentine Bean Soup (Zuppa di Fagioli alla Florentina)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: pinch dried thyme; 1 sprig fresh rosemary; 10 oz (275 g) dark green cabbage leaves (in the absence of black Tuscan cabbage, alas!), washed and cut into large pieces; 10 oz (275 g) dark green cabbage leaves (in the absence of black Tuscan cabbage, alas!), washed and cut into large pieces; ½ teaspoon beef extract; salt; 2½ pints (1.5 litres) water; 1 ham bone; 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; 4 slices coarse white bread; 2 lb (1 kg) fresh or 1 lb (450 g) dried cannellini or borlotti beans; 2 lb (1 kg) fresh or 1 lb (450 g) dried cannellini or borlotti beans; 5 large cloves garlic; 2 large onions, peeled and chopped; 8 tablespoons olive oil; 1 carrot, scraped and chopped; 1 leek, chopped; 1 stick celery, chopped; 1 large ripe tomato, peeled, de-seeded and chopped

Zuppa di Fagioli alla Florentina

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Italian Regional Cookery

By Valentina Harris

Published 1990

About

This is the authentic bean soup recipe from Florence. The Tuscans have been renowned for centuries for their great love of bean-eating! With the leftovers of a bean soup such as this one, you can make the famous Florentine speciality Ribollita. The soup is placed in a wide ovenproof dish, covered with thinly sliced onions, coated with a sheen of olive oil and heated in the oven until the onions form a perfect golden crust.

Ingredients

Europe
Italy
Florence
Mediterranean
Soup

Ingredients

Method