Simple to Scratch

Ribollita

Is there such thing as a bad stew? Furthermore, is there such thing as a bad stew that starts with a moire poix? The flavors of sauteed onions, carrots, and celery just scream comfort in the winter. Top it off with crusty, olive oil, Parmesan covered bread and I need little else to keep me happy. Except for a little bit more sunshine…midwest winters are very cloudy.

This past winter I was determined to find more ways to eat kale. Kale is so healthy and actually really good when cooked well! In college, my roommates and I really liked making kale chips. Drizzle some olive oil and salt and they’re a perfect, crunchy treat. But I wanted more ways to incorporate kale into my every day diet. There’s a restaurant in Cleveland called Tommy’s. I only go there for two things: milkshakes and escarole pie. The escarole pie is like a pie burrito. The filling I opt for contains broccoli, cheese, and escarole. Escarole is a very bitter green but tastes great when cooked with other things. That’ll be my next kale project: replacing the escarole with kale in an escarole pie.

I might be in the minority here, but I love bitter greens. I recently learned I was a non-taster. Non-tasters and super tasters are terminology used by wine connoisseurs. It’s measured but the number of taste buds in a circle the size of a hole punch. If you have under 15 tastebuds in the circle, you are a non-taster. If you have 15-30, you’re an average taster. Over 30, and you’re a super taster. You have powerful buds to taste the complex flavors of wine. As soon as I learned what this was I quickly grabbed wax paper, punched a hole in it, and ran to the closest mirror to count my tastebuds.

I was a little in shock about my non-taster genes considering how much I like to cook. Shouldn’t cooks have excellent taste buds? I was mildly crushed. I’m still mildly crushed. Is what I’m tasting drastically different from what the people around me taste? Do I put too much spice in food?

At the end of the day, as long as I enjoy what I make I suppose that’s all that matters. (Sigh.) But for those who don’t find bitter greens such as kale revolting, this is a lovely stew packed with a lot of flavor. You can’t go wrong with a stew topped with crusty bread, olive oil, and Parmesan.

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Ribollita (Italian Vegetable Stew)

This stew is so hearty and perfect for vegetable lovers! If you’ve never liked kale before this might change your mind.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 3 carrots, diced into small chunks
  • 2 celery stalks, diced into small chunks
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 15 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 quart 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 fresh rosemary sprig
  • 1 fresh thyme sprig
  • 1 lb Tuscan kale, coarsely chopped
  • 4 oz Parmesan with rind, grated (separate the rind, don’t grate it)
  • ½ loaf crusty bread, cut into 1 inch shocks
  • Kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450°F.
  • In a dutch oven or oven safe stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Saute the onion, carrots, and celery for about 7 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
  • Meanwhile, using kitchen shears, coarsely cut up the tomatoes while still in the can. Separate the tomatoes from the juices using a colander.
  • Add the tomato to the pot and saute for 2 minutes to caramelize slightly. Add the tomato juices, beans, stock, rosemary, thyme, kale, and Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Taste halfway through cooking and add salt and pepper as needed.
  • Add about half of the grated Parmesan. Add 1/3 of the bread chunks. Give the soup a good stir. Scatter the remaining 2/3rds bread chunks on top of the soup. Drizzle generously with olive oil and the rest of the grated Parmesan. Bake for 12 minutes uncovered.

Notes

If you didn’t get Parmesan with a rind that’s ok. Just add the Parmesan. But if you can ever find a rind do yourself a favor and add it to the soup.
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