Ribollita

Ingredients

• 300 g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in cold water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, cut into 1 cm dice
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 400 g tin peeled plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 300 g cavolo nero, thick stems stripped out and leaves torn
• 200 g savoy cabbage, shredded
• 300 g floury potatoes, cut into 3 cm chunks
• 250 g stale country bread, torn into rough 3 cm pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• Black pepper
• 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced, to serve

Before you cook

• Drain and rinse the soaked beans.
• Strip the tough centre ribs from the cavolo nero and tear the leaves into large pieces.
• Tear the stale bread into rough chunks and leave it uncovered so it dries further.

Steps

1. Put the drained beans in a saucepan with the bay leaves, rosemary and 2 litres of cold water.
2. Bring the pan to a boil, then lower it to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes until the beans are creamy right through.
3. Season the beans with 1 teaspoon of salt and take the pan off the heat.
4. Scoop out a third of the beans with a little of their liquid and blend them to a smooth purée.
5. Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat.
6. Cook the onion, carrot and celery for 15 minutes until soft and sweet but not coloured.
7. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and chilli flakes and stir for 2 minutes.
8. Tip in the crushed tomatoes and cook for 8 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the oil separates at the edges.
9. Add the cavolo nero and savoy cabbage and turn them through the base until they wilt down, about 5 minutes.
10. Add the potatoes, the whole beans, the bean purée and enough of the bean cooking liquid to cover everything by 2 cm.
11. Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup has thickened.
12. Season with the remaining salt and plenty of black pepper.
13. Stir the torn bread through the soup off the heat and leave it covered for 30 minutes so the bread swells and dissolves.
14. Cool the pot completely and refrigerate it overnight.
15. Reheat the soup the next day over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring so it does not stick, and loosen it with a splash of water if it has set solid.
16. Ladle into bowls, scatter the raw red onion over the top and pour a generous thread of olive oil across each serving.