Simple Ribollita - Tuscan Bean, Vegetable & Bread Soup

A description of this soup was given to me on a Facebook Allotment group I am on. I had a meagre borlotti bean harvest (92g of beans from 6 plants!), and wanted a fitting send off for them. I only realised after I made it that it is in fact a Ribollita.  

Ribollita literally means 'boiled again', and according to Wikipedia it is "a famous Tuscan bread soup, a hearty potage made with bread and vegetables. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, lacinato kale, cabbage, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, beans, chard, celery, potatoes, and onion." 

Serves 4

1 tin of beans (borlotti, pinto, cannellini)
1 bag of washed roughly chopped spinach, or kale
4 slices of stale sourdough (or ciabatta, French baguette)
3 tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 litre recently boiled water

2 vegetable stock cubes

Cut the bread into mouth sized cubes. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large soup pan. Stir fry the bread cubes over a medium high heat until they start to brown. Add the crushed garlic, stir through quickly so it doesn't burn then take off the heat.  Tip the 'cooked' bread into a bowl.

Using the same saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the spinach. Don't worry about it being too wet. Turn the spinach so it all looks wilted then add the beans and hot vegetable stock. If you still have the bean liquid you can use this to make your vegetable stock up to 2 litres rather than water. Bring to the boil. Add the bread back to the soup, mix in well, and when the soup comes back up to the boil it is ready to serve.

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