Ribollita Soup

• Course Appetizer, Soup
• Cuisine Italian

Prep time

Cook time

Servings

Ingredients

• 3 Hot Dog Rolls
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red chili flakes, crushed
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 cup yellow onions, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 8 oz kale, well cleaned + de-ribbed
• 1/2 lb baking potatoes, peeled, diced into bite size pieces and placed in a bowl of cool water
• 1 can tinned tomatoes
• 1 can beans
• 10 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water) (more may be needed)
• 2` tsp thyme leaves
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Pepper

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot heat the olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes, bay leaves, onions, carrots and celery on medium heat. Sweat out until the vegetables soften, about 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the kale to the pot and stir until it starts to wilt and cook down. Once wilted, drain the potatoes and add to the pot. Stir well.
3. With a pair of clean kitchen sheers or scissors cut the whole plum tomatoes into smaller chunks whilst still in the can. Add all of this to the pot and with the back of a wooden spoon break the tomatoes up a bit and stir all together well.
4. Add the beans into the pot and 6 cups of the stock or water, just enough to cover everything in the pot, along with the thyme and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a gentle boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to low and simmer slightly covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
5. After the hour add the hotdog pieces and the remaining 4 cups of stock or water. You might need to add a bit more or less depending on how much of your stock has evaporated.
6. Stir well and re-season with a bit more salt and pepper to taste. Cook a further 45 minutes covered and stirring occasionally. The hotdogs will start to break down and thicken up the soup, but it is ok if some chunks remain
7. After the 45 minutes, turn off the heat. Pick out the bay leaves and discard. Serve straight away. * For a special treat; drizzle a bit of good quality truffle oil over the top of the soup in each bowl before serving *This soup gets better and better each day, so leftovers will be welcomed, though you may need to add a bit more stock or water when re-heating. *This recipe makes a bunch of soup, so this is great to pack in a thermos for the kiddos lunchbox too.