Love Thy Larder: Ribollita al Forno
The mashup you didn’t know you needed
I have been really into soup lately. Ever since the weather turned cold, I always have a delicious soup—or two, if I am feeling really industrious—around. I mostly eat them for lunch, usually with a little protein added for sustenance, either leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or turkey meatballs (my favorite). I’m a creature of habit, and when I’m busy, which is most of the time, I like lunch to be a no-brainer. I truly love soup, so I am always satisfied when I have it for lunch. Occasionally I’ll switch it up and have a salad, which is my summer go-to. The winter salads I waxed poetic about a few weeks ago I use as a side vegetable with dinner usually, though they would all make a fine lunch too.
It’s a fallacy that homemade soup is difficult or time-consuming to make. While I agree that homemade stock takes a little bit of time, and creates a bit of a mess (not to mention a garbage can full of steaming bones and vegetables), I hardly ever use homemade stock in my soups these days, which makes them considerably easier. As you probably already know, I love Better Than Bouillon, and that’s what I use to give my soups depth of flavor and spot-on seasoning. I gave up on boxed stocks years ago, because they basically have no flavor, are expensive, and have a way bigger carbon footprint than one little jar of B Than B. I also love Brodo, by Chef Marco Canora, but I save those for soups or dishes that use less broth, and where the flavor really matters.
It is truly amazing what you can make with stuff you mostly have lying around in your pantry. Even though I am a big proponent of cooking dry beans, there are days when there just isn’t enough time, and canned beans are excellent! By the way, included in my definition of pantry are refrigerated items like celery, carrots, and Parmesan cheese, and countertop items like onions and garlic, and even winter squash.
To make this rendition of the famous Tuscan vegetable and bread soup truly speedy, I relied on cubed squash from the supermarket. There are few things as satisfying as tumbling a package of peeled and cubed squash into a simmering pot. I get very excited thinking about how much time I just saved. I always check the date on this item when I buy it, and visually inspect it to make sure it’s not dried out, or worse, slimy, which it rarely is. It’s a great product, and I’m willing to bet that someone who might never buy and prep a whole squash will use it, and that’s a win in my book!
Ribollita, which is Italian for “re-boiled,” is a traditional hearty vegetable soup that was a way to use stale bread, for which the Italians have many recipes (see panzanella and pappa al pomodoro). The bread is typically cooked in the soup, thickening it and making it heartier and more likely to stick to your ribs. I prefer a different approach, and treat it like French onion soup, with torn bread floated on top, covered with cheese, and baked in the oven. I did this in individual crocks because I had them, but if you cook it in a Dutch oven you can just top the whole pot with the bread and cheese to serve it family style. Either way, you might need more bread and cheese depending on the circumference of your bowls. Just about any sturdy bowl can go in the oven; when it’s filled with soup, it is very unlikely to crack. The bowls I used were a purchase from Anthropologie from a few years ago, but something like these would work well, and are a good all-around bowl for soup and cereal!
I hope you’ll try this recipe, which would make for a special family meal or cozy supper for friends. Believe me, no one will go away hungry!
More cozy winter soups
Any Vegetable Soup
If you’re daunted by the prospect of making soup from scratch, this post and accompanying video are a great place to start. It covers the three main steps to making an Any Vegetable Soup, as well as some tips and tricks for cooking and storing that soup.
Winter Squash Soup
This rich and creamy Winter Squash Soup packs a lot of flavor—not to mention nutrient-rich vegetables. It’s simply the perfect antidote to a cold winter’s day. The pepitas and paprika oil are simple add-ons that boost the color, texture, and flavor, and they also make it much more photogenic!
Lentil Mushroom Soup
You can cook this recipe just as it’s written, or you can use it as a base recipe to riff on, using up whatever vegetables are in your fridge. I love to make it with fresh dill, which reminds me of the Russian flavor profile I grew up with and is an especially comforting flavor for these frigid days we’re having in the Northeast.
Mushroom Beef Barley Soup
I love the deep, nutty flavor of this comforting and filling soup. Toasting the barley in a skillet is an extra-credit upgrade to the recipe, but totally worth it and not a lot of fuss.
