Ribollita is a classic Tuscan peasant soup that harkens back to the Middle Ages.Ribollita is delicious, packed full of nutrition and very economical to make. This reconstructed version adds bread at the end of the cooking process.
8 to 10 pieces of day-old rustic Italian bread, each about 3” x 3″
Olive oil
1/2 cup of basil and spinach pesto (see recipe)
Lemon wedges
Instructions
In the largest soup pot you have, cook pancetta cubes until they begin to brown. Scoop them out of the pan and onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. Reserve the fat from the pancetta in the pot.
In a food processor, finely chop the garlic cloves. Add the onion, and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the onion and garlic mixture to the pancetta fat, and cook until soft over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Depending on how fatty your pancetta is, you may need to add a bit of olive oil.
In the food processor coarsely chop carrot and celery. Add to onion and garlic mixture and saute for another 10 minutes. Add diced potatoes and stir to coat.
Add chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, cooked pancetta, parmigiano reggiano rind, dried thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for another 10 minutes.
Stir in mixed greens and cannellini beans and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
Heat broiler on high. Brush each piece of bread with olive oil and put under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and spread each piece of bread with a spoonful of pesto. Serve the soup in individual bowls. Float a piece of pesto-covered bread on the top of each bowl. Serve with lemon wedges.