The Florentine people call this Ribollita, which means "re-boil" but since I had no time for boiling, letting the soup sit for a day then reboiling, I had to make a few changes, including a name change, and chili is what fits. This is a thick stew/soup, as RR says, it's a Stewp - it's hearty (potatoes, zucchini and beans) and healthy (kale, Swiss chard and cabbage) and as the mister said, "it's regular food," which refers to keeping ones bowels regular...you get the gist...beans, beans, the magical fruit...the more you eat...the more you...
We stumbled across an old non-descript church in Florence and met a young blue-eyed, red-headed priest from Minnesota. We chatted him up and he offered us a quick tour - inside the massive wooden doors of this 17th century church, we walked through a stone alley filled with tombs, then into a marble courtyard, again filled with tombs, and finally into a chapel that words just can't describe - it was over-whelming in it's beauty and art. It wasn't a large chapel but given everything we saw during our entire trip to Italy, this chapel, by far, was the most impressive (including the Sistine Chapel, while amazing, it was filled with noisy, rude tourists, hardly fitting for such a holy place!) The candles were lit, the altar was prepped for mass but Father Smith quickly showed us around, and allowed us to take a few pictures.
Giant sculptures coming out from the walls! It was something to behold! Father Smith noticed the time and said, "I'm sorry, but mass is about to begin, would you like to join us?" Well, try to imagine the mister...his blood pressure shot through the roof at just the thought of walking into a church but sitting for two hours for mass? Ha! So we politely declined although I really wanted to stay...and then Father Smith asked, "Is there anything I can do for you before you leave?" I could not help myself...I asked this sweet boy/man, who has devoted his life to Christ, if he had a speed exorcism in his repertoire, for the mister, who has been in desperate need of one for years (I felt it was my civic duty!) Father Smith did not miss a beat and replied, "I do have a 5 minute exorcism but unfortunately I only have 4 minutes till mass. Next time perhaps?" Got to love a priest with a sense of humor!
Yes, the bread gets soggy...but you swirl it into the soup, and then the magic happens. The bread basically dissolves, except for the crust, which retains it's shape. When the mister bit into a piece of it he asked, "What is this membrane I'm eating?" The word membrane almost made me hurl, so if you don't want a membrane-y texture in your soup, remove the crusts before...I was fine with the crust until he said that! This is down-home-comfort food...perfect for a blustery fall afternoon.
Florentine Chili - Pots and Pins Plus Everything I could Get Out of the Chef at Trattoria Ponte Vecchio
1 large leek, thinly sliced, (about 1cup)
1/2 lb. bacon or pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 medium red potatoes, skin left on, cubed
3 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup tightly packed chopped Swiss chard
1 cup tightly packed chopped kale
1 cup tightly packed chopped cabbage
2 cans (14.5 oz.) vegetable broth
2 cans (15 oz.) cannellini beans
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, plus more for serving
8 slices day old rustic Italian or French bread, about 1-inch thick
In a large Dutch oven, add olive oil and when hot, add bacon and leek and saute until bacon is crisp and leeks are soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. To the pan add all of the remaining ingredients except the Parmesan cheese and bread. Stir to blend. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and place bread on top, gently pushing down slightly, cutting to fit, if necessary, so the bread completely covers the top of the soup. Sprinkle Parmesan on top of bread. Put lid on pan and put in oven. Bake for two hours. Remove from oven, serve by dishing up some of the bread on top into each bowl. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese. Serves 6 to 8.
"Soup is liquid comfort." ~ Author Unknown
