Rachael Ray's Ribollita
Recipe by Rachael Ray
This recipe originally appeared in our Holiday 2020 issue. Get the magazine here.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry or 3 cups cooked cannellini or borlotti beans
- 3 tbsp. EVOO, plus more for serving
- 1/4 lb. pancetta, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- Bundle of fresh sage and rosemary
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 bulb fennel, chopped
- 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 1/2 lb. kale and chard or escarole, stemmed and chopped
- 1 Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino cheese rind, plus grated Pecorino for serving
- 3 quarts chicken stock
- 1 tomato, peeled and finely chopped or 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 3/4 lb. torn peasant bread, toasted
- Chopped raw white onion, for serving
Preparation
1. Boil the beans in salted water until tender, about 1 hour; drain. Transfer half of the beans to a food processor and puree. In a large pot, heat the EVOO, three turns of the pan, over medium-high. Stir in the pancetta, bay leaf, and herb bundle. Cook, stirring often, until the pancetta renders, about 4 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, onion, fennel, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the beans, then add the greens and stir until wilted. Add the cheese rind, chicken stock and tomato.
2. Let the soup simmer until the flavors meld, about 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf, herb bundle, and cheese rind. Stir the toasted bread into the soup and stir to thicken. Simmer, stirring, until the soup has a stew-like consistency. The soup is done when a wooden spoon can stand straight up when placed in the center of the pot.
3. Ladle the ribollita into shallow bowls. Top with EVOO, the raw onion, and lots of Pecorino cheese.
