Out & About September 2017

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This is my version of ribollita, a classic
Tuscan soup.
If you use dried cannellini beans you’ll
get a perfect result, but if you’re anything
like me, you’ll forget to soak them the night
before and have to use canned beans.
This is no great tragedy and should certainly not put
you off making this soup.
SERVES 6
3tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
400g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and boiled until tender
or
1 x 400g can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
100g green beans, topped, tailed and cut into 2cm pieces
200g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
300g swiss chard leaves roughly chopped
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
200g courgettes, cut into 2cm chunks
8 sage leaves
1.5 litres chicken stock
300g stale white country-style bread
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
n Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery and
garlic and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
n Add the cooked or canned cannellini beans and cook for three
minutes, mashing them slightly as you stir them.
n Add the green beans, potatoes, chard, tomatoes, courgettes and
sage leaves and stir.
n Pour on the stock and simmer for 40 minutes, covered.You want
all the vegetables to cook until they are breaking down as this
adds to the velvety thickness of the soup.
n Add the bread in torn pieces and simmer soup for another 10
minutes until the bread has softened and thickens the soup.
n Check the seasoning before serving.
OA food & drink
What’s for Dinner?
Second helpings by Romilla Arber, £20,
directly from the group, or plus p+p
39
Italian
Country Soup
honest about food, what’s in
it and where it comes from
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