RIBOLLITA

Ribollita has a consistency that sits somewhere between a soup and a stew. It’s full of hearty winter vegetables and is given an extra layer of flavour by adding a parmesan heel to the simmering mixture (never throw the end of the parmesan away).

Preparation Time 20 minutes | Cooking Time 1 hour 10 minutes | Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 carrot, diced into 1 cm (½ inch) pieces

1 red onion, diced into 1 cm (½ inch) pieces

1 celery stalk, diced into 1 cm (½ inch) pieces

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

250 g (9 oz) tinned plum tomatoes

2 litres (70 fl oz/8 cups) vegetable stock

100 g (3½ oz) podded fresh or cooked dried borlotti beans

1 parmesan cheese heel

150 g (5½ oz) cavolo nero (1½ bunches), tough stalks trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped

½ bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves picked

Toasted ciabatta, to serve

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic, season and sauté, stirring often, for 15–20 minutes until the vegetables are very tender and translucent, but with no colour.

Stir in the tomatoes, cook for another 10 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down, then add the stock, borlotti beans and parmesan heel and simmer for 4–5 minutes until the borlotti beans are almost tender.

Stir in the cavolo nero and half the parsley leaves and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the cavolo nero and beans are tender and the soup has a thick, stew-like consistency. Stir in the remaining parsley and season to taste.

Discard the parmesan heel and serve hot with the ciabatta and drizzled with the extra-virgin olive oil.