 Boil
one kilo of fresh beans or half kilo of dried beans, previously soaked.
Fry lightly abundant oil and herbs, especially onion, carrots and leeks.
When everything is browned add some ripe tomatoes, made in pieces, and
mash 2/3 of the previously boiled beans; in a different pot or dish mash
a boiled big potato and cook it very slowly in the broth with beans, add
salt and pepper and if the mixture becomes to be too thick add some hot
water. In another pot prepare a layer of stale home-made bread slices
and pour, over them, the broth with vegetables and some of the entire
beans, by this way it is possible to make more layers of bread and vegetables.
Then let the ribollita recover until the next day when the soup has to
be cooked again with olive oil, but not too much otherwise it can stick
to the bottom of the pot.
It can be served both hot and cold and it is better to cook it in earthenware
pots.
Between the ingredients of ribollita it is possible to add black cabbage,
which can be harvested during frosted mornings, so that we can have a
tastier ribollita even if a bit heavier.
This course was also prepared in small restaurants and everyone has
his secrets in cooking it.
Text Tebaldo Lorini
Picture by Kee-Ho Casati
Translated by Gianna Toni
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