Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Tuscan White-Bean Stew

I hear there's no copyright laws I'm violating by posting a recipe from Cookie Magazine, so here it goes.... it comes from a section in the October edition entitled "peasant food."

Tuscan Ribollita

Serves 6 | 20 minutes active time | 1 1/2 hours total

  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 4 ounces pancetta or ham, chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 3 15-ounce cans cannellini or great northern beans,
    drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
  • Grated Parmesan

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the first five ingredients in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth, and rosemary. Simmer, covered, until the beans break apart, about an hour.
  3. Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more. Stir in the bread crumbs and serve, drizzled with the remaining olive oil and sprinkled with the cheese.
TIP: If you don't have a Dutch oven, use a shallow metal baking pan covered with foil.

My customizations to this recipe are that I used prosciutto once and normal ham another time. I also recommend doubling the carrots and celery. After you serve the soup (it's very thick) in bowls is when you drizzle on the olive oil. It makes for great dipping if you also have a baguette. Oh yeah, and it doesn't really serve six. I doubled the recipe and it served 5 adults and 4 kids.