Top 40 Recipes - Simply the Best

Rinse the beans that have been soaked for 12 hours, and then drain, and then place them into a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add all the ingredients listed above for cooking the beans. Then add enough water to cover the beans by two inches (5cm) and bring the water slowly to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for about 1 1/2 hours until the beans are tender. Cook for an extra 20-30 minutes if not tender.

Using a slotted spoon, extract the beans from the liquid, but retain it as the soup base. Take two-thirds of the beans and puree coarsely in a food processor. Add to a bowl. This helps thicken the soup.

Strain the cooking liquid into another bowl and discard the vegetables and herbs.

Add some oil to the pot used to cook the beans. Fry the onion and chillies for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, add the tomato puree and fresh tomatoes and add the tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for 2–3 minutes. Next add the bean puree. Stir for several minutes so the mixture combines well. Then add the garlic, thyme and all the other vegetables. Add extra water to a volume of 1.5 litres (3 pints; 6 cups). Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and leave overnight in the refrigerator.

On the next day add the whole bans to the soup in the pot and add the onions slices. Place the pot in an oven at 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) for about an hour to reheat

Rub the bread slices with the garlic clove halves, and then toast under the grill. The best way to serve the soup is to place a slice of bread into each bowl and ladle soup over it. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top and serve the soup hot.

Rich Ribollita Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 pound chopped kale or escarole
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans
• 4 large, thick slices whole-grain bread, toasted

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch Oven over moderate heat. Stir-fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are soft (about 5 to 10 minutes). Heat your oven to 500 deg F (260 deg C). Drain the beans, rinse them and add to the pot with the tomatoes, stock, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until the flavors combine well (about 15 to 20 minutes). Remove and discard rosemary and thyme stems, if preferred, and then add the kale and stir through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Place bread slices on top of the stew to completely cover the top of the soup. Scatter red onion slices over the top, and drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place the pot uncovered in the pre-heated oven. Bake until the bread, onions and cheese are browned and crisp (generally about 10 to 15 minutes). Brown the top under a griller or broiler. Serve the soup in 4 large bowls and serve immediately. This soup stores well in the refrigerator and is better still when reheated and served the next day.

Nutritional analysis per serving (1/4 of recipe)

539 calories;
23 g fat; 5 g saturated fat; 13 g mono-unsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 62 g carbohydrates;
16 g dietary fiber;
10 g sugars;
25 g protein;
9 mg cholesterol;
1638 mg sodium

Ribollita Soup with Baked Ciabatta Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 piece Parmesan rind
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 ounces pancetta, chopped
• 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
• 1 can cannelloni beans, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise or 1 loaf, sliced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

Method

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 deg C). Heat the oil in a heavy large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the minced garlic, onion, carrot, pancetta, salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is soft and golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to mix through. Add the herbs, stock, bay leaf, tomatoes, spinach, beans and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast in a shallow pan in the pre-heated oven until golden brown (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasted slices with the whole garlic clove. Place the toast slices in serving bowls and ladle the soup over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs and serve immediately.

Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 cups of Swiss chard
• 1 bunch of fresh kale
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• 1/2 head Savoy cabbage
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 2-3 thyme sprigs (leaves only)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 potato, medium sized, sliced into small cubes
• 1/2 lb (250 g) dried cannellini beans (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1/2 lb (250 g) whole wheat, rustic, stale bread, sourdough or other crisp crusted bread

Method

Place the dried beans in a heavy saucepan with 4 cups of cold water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook covered for about 3 hours or until they are just tender. Chop the carrot, onion, celery. and garlic. Peel and dice the potatoes and the other vegetables. Place about 3/4 of the beans into a blender or food processor with some of the cooking water. Pulse to a smooth paste and set aside. Set aside. Heat 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a deep heavy pan or Dutch over and sauté the celery, carrot, garlic and onion over moderate heat, until golden brown in color (about 7-8 minutes). Stir frequently to avoid burning. Add the thyme leaves, the tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the remaining fresh vegetables, the bean purée with its water, and 4 cups of water. Cook over low heat, covered, for about 1 hour. Finally, add the remaining cooked whole beans (that were not pureed) and the stale bread, cut into slices, with crust on. Let soup sit for several hours, ideally overnight in the refrigerator. Then, reheat the soup, simmering while stirring for a few minutes over low heat. Serve the soup in bowls sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper, fresh herbs and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Cheese is optional.

Rich and Hearty Robillita Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 potato
• 1 stalk of celery
• 250 g savoy cabbage
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 leek, green section trimmed
• 250 g (1 1/4 cups) dried borlotti beans
• 100 g trimmed silverbeet leaves or Kale
• 250 g cavolo nero (black Tuscan cabbage)
• 250 g (1 1/4 cups) dried cannellini beans
• 1 loaf of bread “pane di casa” or “casereccio”
• 2 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

Method

Soak the cannellini and borlotti beans the night before in plenty of water. Then, drain the beans, transfer to a saucepan full of fresh water (about 3 litres), and simmer 30 minutes, or until tender. Do not drain, but save the boiling water as a stock. Next, dice the carrot, celery and onion, and chop the savoy cabbage, black cabbage and silverbeet. Add oil to another large heavy saucepan, or Dutch oven, and fry the cabbages, silverbeet, carrot, celery, onion, leek and potato over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring, or until the vegetables start to soften. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 litre (1 quart) of the bean cooking liquid. Simmer gently over low heat for 12-15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Take 2/3 of the drained cooked beans, 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables and blend until creamy in a blender or food processor. Return the blended bean paste to the saucepan and simmer for another 10–15 minutes. Add remaining drained whole cooked beans to the soup. Add 2 slices of bread to each plate and ladle a serving of soup on top. Rest for roughly 10 minutes, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Simple Easy Robillita Recipe with Mixed Fresh Vegetables

Ingredients

• 2 bay leaves
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 4 cups of kale, chopped
• 2 peeled onions, chopped
• extra olive oil for serving
• 4 sliced of crisp crust bread
• 3 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
• herbs and grated cheese for serving
• 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin olive oil
• 3 peeled cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 can or 2 cups of canned or fresh chopped tomatoes
• 250 g (1/2 lb) cannellini beans, with 1 cup of the cooking water

Method

Using a heavy deep pan or Dutch oven, lightly fry the onions, carrots, peeled cloves of garlic and ribs of celery for 15- 20 minutes in the olive oil. Add the bay leaves and the chopped tomatoes, with 250 g cooked cannellini beans with 250 ml of their cooking water. Simmer over a low to medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until the ingredients have softened and the ingredients have blended. Tear up 4 thick slices of bread and dunk them into the soup. Add the kale and stir it through. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes until you have a thickish soup. Serve in bowls with a trickle of olive oil, fresh herbs, a sprinkling of grated cheese and extra bread.

The soup gets better when stored in the refrigerator overnight and reheated. Keep the size of the vegetable pieces quite small. You can also use Savoy cabbage or green oils to replace some of the kale. Other alternative are diced prosciutto, leeks, cubed potatoes, courgettes, thyme leaves, fennel seeds and crushed dried chillies. Add some lemon oil., zest or juice just before serving to brighten up the flavors.

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