Tutto Bene Ribollita

Comfort in a bowl comes to me in only one form.....the sublime Ribolitta. The first time I had this soup was on a cold day in Florence. I literally thought that I had died and gone to heaven. It must be the simplicity of the peasant dish....loaded with one of my favorite foods......BREAD!

If you can open a can and use a knife, you can make this wonderful soup.

Start by chopping onion, celery and carrots. I did one onion, 2 celery stalks and 2 carrots. Chop up a clove or two of garlic and saute in some olive oil. Add a bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Don't be stingy, use a good quality sea salt or kosher salt and only fresh cracked black pepper!











Soften the vegetables for about 7 minutes or so. Add in 2 cups of tomato sauce, 6 cups of your favorite chicken stock and 2 cans of white beans. I did use cannelini beans, but do prefer the smaller white beans for this soup. (The first Ribollita I had also had greens in it. This is truyly a soup you can make your very own. Add whatever additional veggies you like!) Bring to a simmer. Now comes the fun part. The Bread! You will need a stale loaf, or at least day old bread. Cut it in half and scoop out the insides. You will tear up the bread with your hands and drop into the soup. The bread will begin to break down and absorb the stock. You can add as much or as little bread as you prefer. The ribolitta can be super thick, or more soupy...your preference prevails. Use some of the crust to dip into the soup for a taste test. Adjust your salt and pepper seasonings if needed.

When you are ready to serve, dish it up into a bowl, grate some parmigiano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil! Tutto Bene!