Ribollita

Image from 101 Cookbooks blog

Ribollita is a famous Tuscan soup of peasant origins whose name literally means "reboiled". I had some left over pasta all'agnolione sauce, a little left over Tuscan sage flavored white beans, and tomato juice which I threw in as well. It was delicious!

RIBOLLITA

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 4 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 15-ounce cans cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small chili pepper
• Salt and Pepper
• Parmesan rind
• 1 bunch kale, roughly chopped

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add a splash of red wine, the kale, beans, chicken stock, bay leaf, chili pepper and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Fall bounty

Crisp red apples mottled with green, their withered leaves still attached. Nutty brown mushrooms spilling out of a woven basket. creamy tart chevres wrapped in leaves, speckled with herbes de provence. the last of the summer plums. Crisp autumnal greens, tightly furled and awaiting you.

Summer brings the promise of sweet juicy berry ripeness but autumns promise is heartier - promising to fortify you for the winter months. Acorn squash. Whole grains. Dark leafy greens. Pumpkins that have been waiting all summer.