Tuscan Ribollita

I had some wonderful bread soups when I was in Tuscany last year. They were full of beans and vegetables along with wild boar. Lacking wild boar, I used a meaty ham bone and did my best to recreate some of my favorites from several Cortona eateries.  

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup dry small white beans

1/2 cup dry cannelloni beans

1/2 cup dry borlotti beans

1/2 cup dry black eye peas

1 Tbs chopped sun dried tomatoes

1 Tbs minced shallot

1 tsp Italian herb blend

water to cover the beans by 2 inches

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup chopped red or orange pepper

1 Tbs low sodium chicken or vegetable broth base

1 Tbs Italian herb blend

1 meaty ham bone (omit for vegetarian or vegan version)

1 12 oz can low sodium Italian style tomatoes

several slices of Italian bread, cubed

freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or dairy free Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

Mix the beans together with the dried tomatoes, shallot and herbs and place in a large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and let boil for 1 minute. Cover and let sit for 2 hours. After 2 hours, drain the beans. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the vegetables and cook for several minutes, until the onion begins to turn translucent, and the vegetables begin to soften. Add the cooked vegetables to the beans, along with the chicken or vegetable broth and the herb blend. Cover the beans and vegetables with water. Add the ham bone and bring to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for another 2 hours. Add the tomatoes to the soup and remove the ham bone. Shred any remaining ham from the bone and return the meat to the soup. To serve, place a handful of bread cubes in a bowl and top with a ladle of soup. Grate some Parmesan on top of the soup. 

Serves 8

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Sometimes recipes are so good that there are no leftovers. Or sometimes leftovers disappear. This soup didn't make it to the photograph stage because someone ate all of the leftovers before the photos were taken. That's high praise at this house. 

Italian Fennel Salad

Italy loves fennel. Okay, I love fennel, too. Here's a salad that celebrates fennel, along with many other vegetables that frequent Italian cooking. Arugula. Olives. Tomatoes. Pistachios. Parmesan. So many great tastes mixed together. This one is great for a crowd or a potluck. In fact, it was my recent contribution at a pickleball potluck. So many people enjoyed it and asked for the recipe - so here it is. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups arugula

3 cups mixed greens 

1 head fennel, including green fronds, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced

5 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1/2 cup kalamata or Italian style olives, coarsely chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup pistachios

1/4 cup parmesan or vegan parmesan

1 Tbs thinly sliced red onion

1/2 cup Lemon Honey Dressing

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together. Add the dressing just before serving. 

Serves 8-10 generously or more at a potluck

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Feel free to mix this recipe up as much as you like. Add more of the ingredients you love, and less (or omit) the ingredients that aren't your favorites. It's always a hit.