Ribollitaserves 6-8
Ingredients
- 225g dried cannelllini beans
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 leeks, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 400g tinned plum tomatoes
- 115g cavolo nero or cabbage, shredded
- 1 red chilli pepper
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
- 2 litres miso broth or vegetable stock
- 100ml dry white wine (optional)
- Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
- 8 thin slices of good-quality crusty wholemeal bread
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 55g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Method
- Soak the beans in water to cover generously. Leave overnight.
- Next day, drain and rinse the beans well. In a large heavy-based pan, heat two tablespoons of the oil and sauté the onion in it briefly until just translucent, then add the vegetables, chilli pepper, oregano and rosemary. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until all the vegetables are well coated in the oil and beginning to soften. Add the beans and mix in to coat them well.
- Add the miso broth or stock and the wine. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 1 ½ hours, until the beans are quite soft. Season to taste (don’t add salt before this point or the beans’ skins will harden). Allow to cool slightly and fish out the chilli pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4. Ladle out about half the contents of the pan (try to favour the beans and leave the vegetables) and purée in a food processor or by means of a food mill. Return to the pan and mix well.
- Rub the bread with one or two garlic cloves and toast. Finely chop the remaining garlic. Heat the remaining oil and gently sauté the garlic with the thyme and lots of black pepper, until softened and aromatic. Stir in the soup and season.
- Pour about half the pan’s contents into an ovenproof casserole, spread the toasted bread over that and then empty the rest of the pan’s contents on top. Arrange the slices of red onion over the top and scatter with the cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
Taken from Healthy Eating for the Menopause by Dr Marilyn Glenville with Lewis Esson (Kyle Cathie, £12.99) with photography by Ian Wallace. Buy this book at a discount from the Saga Book Shop