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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Ribollita

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Ribollita or Tuscan bread soup is an aromatic comfort food which is quite filling enough to be a meal in itself. This hearty soup is perfect for chilly days. Here we used dried cannellini beans, but feel free to use canned ones to reduce the cooking time.

 

Serves 8

Ingredients:

100ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

150g pancetta, chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 cups chicken stock

2 400g cans chopped tomatoes

250g dried cannellini beans, soaked in cold water overnight and drained

2 bay leaves

2 parsley stalks, bruised

Salt and ground pepper to taste

1 loaf day-old ciabatta, roughly torn

Finely grated Parmesan, for serving

Chili flakes, for serving

Lemon zest, for serving

 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onions for 2-3 minutes or until it is fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery and pancetta. Cook it for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Place the tomatoes, stock, cannellini beans, bay leaves and parsley in the saucepan. Set the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for thirty minutes or until the beans are tender. Remove the parsley stalks and discard. Season it with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the bread into 8 parts and place them in individual bowls. Ladle hot soup into the bowls and drizzle them with olive oil. Top with grated Parmesan, chili flakes and lemon zest before serving. Serve immediately.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: tuscanycious

Tuscan White Bean Stew

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It is a traditional Tuscan recipe that is filling enough to be a main course with a light salad on the side. To sum it up it is simple, healthy and delicious.

For the croûtons:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, cut in half

1 slice whole-grain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the soup:

2 cups dried cannellini (white beans), soaked overnight and drained

6 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 sprigs and 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or broth

First, prepare the croutons. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes. Remove the garlic pieces and discard them. Return the pan to medium heat and sauté the bread cubes until they are light brown. Stir frequently. Place them in a bowl and set aside.

In a Dutch oven over high heat, boil the water and add the white beans, salt and bay leaf. After, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour until the beans are tender. You may use a pressure cooker if you are in a hurry. Do not overcook. Drain the beans and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid. Remove the bay leaf and discard it.

In a small bowl, mash half of the cooked beans and mix it with the reserved liquid to form a paste.

Place the Dutch oven over high medium flame and heat the olive oil. Stir-fry the garlic, onions and carrots until the carrots are cooked. Pour in the vegetable stock. Add the chopped rosemary, beans and bean paste. Bring it to a boil and season it with salt and pepper. After, let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

Ladle the stew into individual bowls and top with croûtons. Garnish it with a rosemary sprig. Serve immediately.

Photo Courtesy Of: thebittenword.com

Lamb Shanks with Cannellini Beans

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Soft, melt in your mouth Lamb, with a mouth-watering array of flavours and textures. Sure fire comfort food, this dish is great either on its own, or with creamy mashed potatoes.
Lamb Shank

To Serve 4
250g Cannellini Beans (soaked overnight in water)
2tbsp Sunflower Oil
1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
4 Carrots, chopped
2 Celery Sticks, thinly sliced
1 Clove of Garlic, chopped
4 Large Lamb Shanks
400g Canned Chopped Tomatoes
300ml Red Wine
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 Orange
2 Bay Leaves
3 Rosemary Sprigs
225ml Water
Salt and Pepper

1.       Heat the oven to 160 C. Drain the soaked Beans and rinse under cold running water, before putting into a large pan of cold water and bring to the boil, then boil rapidly for ten minutes, whilst removing anything floating on the surface. Drain and set aside

2.       Heat oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish, and add the Onion and cook for five minutes, or until they’ve softened. Add the Carrots and Celery, cook for a further five minutes (or until the Onion begins to brown). At this point, spread the vegetables to the sides of the pan.

3.       Add the Lamb Shanks to the pan, and brown off all over. Add the Beans, Wine, Tomatoes and Orange Zest and Juice, and stir. Add in the Rosemary and Bay Leaves. Pour the water in, so that the liquid comes around halfway up the Shanks. Season with Pepper (don’t use the salt yet – it will stop the beans from softening)

4.       Bring to the boil on a hob, then cover and cook in the oven for around an hour. Turn the Shanks over and then cook for another ninety minutes, until the Lamb and Beans are tender. Remove the Bay Leaves, taste, and season.

Serve either on its own, or for a bigger meal, serve with Mashed Potatoes.