Recipe Details

Ingredients

• 1 pound (500 grams) dried white beans, cannellini or Navy beans, washed and soaked for 3 hours

• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped

• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped

• 1 (6-inch) stalk celery, chopped

• 1 small bunch parsley, flat-leaf, chopped

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 pound (500 grams) lacinato kale, or Tuscan kale, ribs removed and leaves chopped

• 1 pound (500 grams) beet greens, or Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped

• 1/2 pound (250 grams) potatoes, peeled and diced

• Fine sea salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 sprig fresh thyme

• 1/2 loaf white bread, thinly sliced, day-old crusty Italian bread

Description

Served immediately, this dish is called minestra di pane, or bread soup. However, it improves dramatically with age, so much that when it’s reheated and served the next day it’s called ribollita and is one of the few reasons to get excited about the arrival of winter.
Reheating does require some care lest the minestra di pane burn: You will likely find that it has absorbed liquid as it rested overnight and looks rather dry. Add a little water, enough to moisten it, and reheat it over a gentle flame, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.

When it is bubbling hot, it is ready.
Serve it as a first course, with a cruet of extra