Tuscan Ribollita Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 leek, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped

• 2 vine tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped

• 3 cups vegetable stock (more to taste)*

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or a generous pinch of dried)

• 1 can cannellini beans, undrained

• 1 bunch kale (or other hearty green), destemmed and chopped

• Red wine vinegar OR lemon juice

• Onion powder, garlic powder, etc to taste

• Parmesan

• Ciabatta or stale bread

Instructions

1. Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Add onion and leeks and cook until softened.

2. Add garlic, dried thyme, carrot, and celery. Stir and continue to cook until softened.

3. Add tomatoes, stock, and fresh thyme (if using). Stir. Bring to a boil. Pop on the lid and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Add beans and parmesan (to your taste) and cook through for a few minutes.

5. Transfer about 1/3 to 1/2 of the mixture into a blender and blend away. (At The Ridge, we have a bullet blender. So ladle out desired amount of soup into a bowl and blend in batches. Careful not to fill the bullet too much at a time.)

6. Pour blended soup back into the pot and mix. Add kale and cook another 5 minutes until it's wilted.

7. Taste. Adjust seasoning. I like to add red wine vinegar or a bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavors. Usually a good pinch of salt and pepper are called for. More parmesan is usually welcome. Sometimes a little sprinkling of garlic or onion powder helps as well.

8. Cut stale bread into chunks and place at bottom of bowls and ladle soup over. The bread will soak up the soup, both thickening and flavoring it.