Roulotte Ultra Legere Recipes

LEFTOVERS DELUXE THE TUSCAN WAY RIBOLLITA

Steps:

• Drain beans after soaking and cover generously with fresh water, adding the sage and the 2 whole cloves of garlic. Bring beans to boil and cook 45 minutes to one hour, until they are quite tender. Reserve liquid.
• Meanwhile, saute the pancetta, the two minced garlic cloves and the onion in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.
• When beans are cooked, puree half of them in a food processor, using a little of the cooking liquid, if necessary.
• Combine the pureed and the whole beans with the pancetta mixture and with tomatoes, carrots, celery, thyme, chard, potatoes and cabbag and 4 to 5 cups of the bean broth. Cook for 30 to 60 minutes, adding water if soup becomes more like porridge. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a layer of bread in a casserole and top with some soup. Repeat until all the bread is used, ending with soup on top. The dish can be served this way, as a bean and bread soup. To make ribollita, refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, mash the soup and the bread into a thick porridge. Boil to reheat. As an alternative, you may saute the ribollita in a skillet in 4 tablespoons of olive oil until it forms a light crust. In either case, each serving should be topped with the remaining olive oil.