Tuscan vegetable soup ‘ribollita’

When the cold season envelops us, spreading a blanket of snow on our lawns and the leaves drop from the trees, you can’t but wish for something rich in flavour and taste. And what could be more deliciously suitable than a fantastic ‘ribollita’ vegetable soup, a quintessentially Tuscan recipe that has no equal for flavour and lightness, despite having the enviable quality of being able to warm us up even when we’re chilled to the marrow. To make a truly top quality ribollita, don’t forget a couple of very important things: originally, this dish was made with the leftovers of the previous day’s meal and, above all, was bulked out with stale bread and lots of uncooked olive oil. So, are you ready to offer a delicious, traditional dish to your vegetarian guests, rich and comforting but light at the same time?

Cut the vegetables into large pieces and sauté them in the pan until they are golden brown. Add the beans and cook for a while. Add the spelt and the lentils. Cover with 1 litre of water and simmer for 2 hours. As the water evaporates, gradually add another litre. When the soup is ready, let it rest for a day, then add more water to bulk it out a bit and serve with stale bread broken into small pieces and lots of olive oil.