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Ribollita means reboiled. In Tuscan farmhouses, a pot of bean and vegetable soup made one day was thickened with stale bread and heated again the next, until it became something closer to a porridge than a broth. Nothing was wasted, least of all the region’s bread, which is traditionally baked without salt and goes stale quickly.

What began as thrift has become one of the great dishes of Tuscany. In autumn, when the new olive oil is pressed and the cavolo nero is at its best after the first cold nights, ribollita appears on the menus of trattorias from Florence to Siena, finished at the table with a pour of green, peppery oil.

Eat it where it is made

Order ribollita in a Florentine trattoria in October and November, when the new oil, olio nuovo, is poured over the top. Build it into a driving tour of Tuscany, or pair it with our guide to Rome for a longer trip.

The ingredients that matter

Cavolo nero, also sold as lacinato or Tuscan kale, gives the soup its deep flavor. Use a rustic, open-textured loaf that is at least a day old, and the best extra-virgin olive oil you can find for finishing.

Ingredients

Serves 6.

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
• 1 onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can (14 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained, or 3 cups cooked beans
• 1 large bunch cavolo nero, stems removed, leaves sliced
• 1/2 small savoy cabbage, shredded
• 1 Parmigiano rind (optional)
• 6 cups (1.4 liters) vegetable stock or water
• 8 oz (225 g) day-old rustic bread, torn into pieces
• Salt, black pepper and chili flakes

Method

1. Make the base. Warm the olive oil in a large pot and cook the onion, carrot and celery gently for 15 minutes, until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and tomato paste for 2 minutes.
2. Add the beans. Add the tomatoes and beans. Mash about a third of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the soup.
3. Simmer the greens. Add the cavolo nero, cabbage, Parmigiano rind and stock. Simmer for 45 minutes, until the greens are silky.
4. Add the bread. Stir in the bread and simmer for 15 minutes more, stirring, until it breaks down and the soup is thick. Season well.
5. Rest and reboil. For the true ribollita, cool the soup overnight, then reheat it the next day, adding a splash of water if needed.

How to serve it

In wide bowls, with a generous pour of your best olive oil, black pepper and a few chili flakes. It should be thick enough for a spoon to stand in.

What to pour

A young Chianti Classico or a Rosso di Montalcino, both bright enough to cut the oil.

Make a menu of it

Like our Greek fasolada, this is a bean soup that improves overnight. Follow it with our tortelli di zucca for an Italian feast, and find more At the Table.

Photo: Ta4e Negodue, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0