MAKES ABOUT 6 QUARTS; 12 TO 16 SERVINGS AS A MAIN COURSE
By the way, you should know that the same thickened soup is also called minestrone di pane, minestrone thickened with bread, which demystifies its unique character. Its pet name, ribolitta, which means “reboiled,” is clearly explanatory. And minestrone means “big soup.” It is silly to make a small amount of minestrone and impossible to make a small pot of ribolitta.
A simple meat stock recipe follows the ribolitta; it contains just three ingredients. This stock base is important here, and I urge you to make your own. The small extra effort is well worth the quantum improvement in flavor over canned broth in this soup.
3 medium red onions, chopped
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups dry red wine, preferably a Montepulciano
1 can (28 ounces) Italian peeled tomatoes in juice
3 quarts Simple Meat Stock
1 pound red cabbage, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 pound green cabbage, cut into ½-inch pieces
1½ pounds russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
2 imported bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
1¼ pounds zucchini, cut into ½-inch dice
1 pound cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, preferably the red variety, well rinsed, leaves and stems cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large bunch of lacinato, or dinosaur kale, well rinsed, leaves coarsely shredded, stems cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups cooked or drained canned cannellini or other white beans
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces Italian bread, day old or left to dry out for at least several hours
Freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese and/or your best olive oil, as accompaniment
1. In a very large soup pot, cook the red onions in the olive oil, covered, over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and continue to cook covered, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are softened and the onions are lightly colored, 7 to 10 minutes longer.
2. Add the wine and the tomatoes with their juices. With a large spoon, break up the tomatoes by pressing them against the side of the pot. Add the meat stock and bring to a boil. Add the red and green cabbage, potatoes, bay leaves, oregano, and hot pepper. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
3. Add the zucchini, cauliflower, Swiss chard, kale, and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, partially covered, 1½ to 1¾ hours, adding 1 or 2 cups of water if needed. The soup should be thick but have plenty of liquid to cook in. At this point, the vegetables should be broken down into a very coarse puree, with some larger pieces probably still intact. (The recipe can be made ahead to this point up to 3 days in advance; it is best made a day in advance, cooled completely, and then refrigerated, or it can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
4. Before serving, reheat the soup and tear or crumble the bread into the pot. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the bread has blended into the soup and the vegetables are so broken down they are almost unrecognizable; the mixture will be as thick as porridge. In Italy, they say a spoon should be able to stand up in the bowl, but we don’t want to build Roman roads here.
5. Ladle the ribolitta into big soup plates and pass the Parmesan cheese and/or olive oil.