Tuscan Ribollita

"How good does a pot of this soup on the stove on a chilly, soccer-packed fall Saturday sound?"--Cookie Magazine

My answer is: "Sounds pretty effin good if you take the soccer-packed Saturday out."

I am sad to see that Cookie Magazine is no longer.  I'd read it while Cooper napped...and then my fantasies of vacationing in Bali WITH MY KID came to a halt when the laundry buzzer sounded and Coop woke up starving and needed me.  I loved it all- and all of it was ridiculously unattainable.  A girl can dream, can't she?  Occasionally I ripped out some recipes, but this is the first that I actually made.  Now it makes me even more upset that they are shutting down.   Insert huge frowny face here _______________!

But I did knock another recipe down from my floor pile.  It's the recipe on the far right.  Ta-da!

That makes me feel good.

What I like most about this soup is that the whole thing takes up about 4 inches of real estate on the magazine page.  This is important to me.  I love to cook, but now I don't really have the time to make a big production out of it.  So if a recipe is over a page, I usually don't budge.

The verdict- I am soo making it again.  Especially when it's super cold outside.  Which is ALMOST happening here in the Bay Area.  Towards the end of the meal, I felt a food sweat coming on.  It was quickly remedied by opening the kitchen door.  I'm smart huh?

Casey's comment "It's like eating a bowl of pasta, but not!" It's ridiculously thick and creamy (from the white beans).  Perfect with a glass of red wine and some toasty bread (yes I added carbs on top of carbs tonight!)  The kale will help you justify not having an accompanying salad...and oh man the flavor is super good.  I am easily transported back to a restaurant in Florence...drizzles of olive oil and fresh grated Parmesan...oh boy.

As time elapsed, the soup became soo thick it looked like stuffing.  I added a little chicken stock and it immediately turned back to soup again!  I think this is probably what I'll do with the leftovers.

Here's the first 5 ingredients you have to sauté:

I thought that 3 cans was ridiculous.  Turns out I was wrong.  Most of them get broken down and thicken the sauce.

I made my own toasted breadcrumbs out of stale bread

I browned them in a skillet after they were pulverized.

More kale!  I'm getting some good greenage this week!

Tuscan Ribollita

(Recipe Cookie Magazine)

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
• 1 small onion, peeled & roughly chopped (all i had was a red onion)
• 1 carrot, peeled & chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 oz. pancetta chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 15oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained & 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 & rosemary.  Simmer, covered until the beans break apart, about an hour.

3. Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 mins more.  Stir in the bread crumbs and serve, drizzled with the remaining olive oil & sprinkled with cheese.