Tuscan Ribollita is basically a bean stew. An extremely delicious bean stew. It's hearty, it's rich, it's warm... It's everything a girl like me could want on a cold day. This particular batch was shared by my ex-roommate Vicky, Brian, and I with a loaf of sourdough bread. I don't completely remember what it tasted like, except that it smelled amazing and tasted very rich and good. It was very hearty, and filling-- I felt like I should live in a much colder climate than Los Angeles to be eating this meal. Which is funny, because when I imagine Tuscany I sort of envision sun and ripe grapes. But, as I've never been to Italy (as we've gone over before) what do I know?
I do know that when I was younger I didn't really like beans. I mean, I liked refried beans/pintos and cheese from Taco Bell, but if I got minestrone soup I wouldn't eat the beans, or if something came with beans in it, I'd avoid them. I liked green beans though, and lentils. So it wasn't a thing against legumes. I'm not sure what it was. I think maybe beans filled me up too much-- I still sometimes avoid them because they start making me feel very full very fast. Which is what happened with this stew. As you can see in these photos, each of us didn't have a very large portion, but it was more than enough to fill us up (though this may also be because of the bread).
Vicky will hate me for posting this photo of her, but I think she looks cute. Oh, yeah, we had this with red wine. I believe on Shutterbean it was a suggested serving, but I don't remember what kind of wine we had with it either. Man, I really need to start posting these closer to when I make them so I remember more about them. It's just-- it's just stuff came up! (Like the Eggland contest!!) And I also get distracted by life.
I have a casting for Ed Hardy today. Wish me luck!! I ate one of my macarons from a few days ago just a few minutes ago. Probably not good 'I'm-about-to-prance-around-in-my-bathing-suit' food... but I don't regret it.
Tuscan Ribollita
Recipe from Shutterbean
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
2 oz pancetta, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 a 15 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 15 oz can cannelini beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1/8 cup toasted bread crumbs
grated parmesan
In a large pot over medium heat, saute the first five ingredients in2 tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth, and rosemary. Simmer, covered, until the beans break apart-- about an hour. Add the kale and cook for five to seven more minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs and serve, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with cheese.
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