Ribollita and Friends

Dark greens, celery, carrots, root vegetables. Winter in Seattle is made of these. It might seem a bit dreary after the glamour and glory of summer tomatoes and fresh artichokes, fluffy basil bunches and tender green beans. Soup, like the hot Maida Golden Tomato soup we presented a few weeks ago, can be the answer.

In Italy there is a whole evolutionary family, if you will, of soups and minestre that range from the more “primitive” enriched broths called aquacotta “cooked water” and aquapazza “crazy water” to the classic and beloved minestrone with or without pasta. A variation without pasta is a series of bread-enhanced stews such as ribollita Toscana or pappa al pomodoro.

These peasant dishes have tens of versions and also tens of tales that surround their origins and culinary histories. Aquacotta originated on the northern coast of Lazio up to the coast and interior of Tuscany. Developed by wandering charcoal makers, shepherds, and other rural workers, its recipe varied greatly according to what was at hand. Any foraged ingredients like wild greens, herbs, mushrooms, were basically thrown into a pot of boiling water. The resulting flavored broth, topped with some rough grated pecorino, perhaps, became the meal.

What was at hand for the pre-recipe changed according to the seasons and place of gathering or wandering. There might be some hard, crusty, toasted bread toasted on a hearth or open fire. A sheepherder might naturally add some pecorino cheese or some long-aged pancetta or bacon that had been tucked deep in his rucksack.

In Lazio, mentuccia or wild mint is common in soup recipes while wild mushrooms might be sliced into the recipe in the mountains of Tuscany’s Casentino.

We first ate the aquacotta version of this dish at Ristorante Gradinoro in coastal Lazio. A rich tomatoey broth was topped with a poached egg and toasted bread. Our hosts placed a bottle of Colli Etruschi Extra Virgin Olive oil on our table, which they passionately encouraged us to douse or broth with. That was the beginning of our serious intention to import this rich, green local olive oil.

One recipe for Aquacotta from coastal Tuscany states:

Saute some garlic and onion in olive oil. Add water and bring to a boil. When the water has boiled add coarse salt and the vegetables according to their cooking times. Vegetables suggested range from potatoes, to broccolini, dandelion greens, chard, cauliflower, spinach, watercress. Once these are cooked, and the broth reduced down, whole eggs are added gently to the mixture, to poach in and continue to thicken the emerging “soup”.

Separately, the essential bread is toasted, oiled and salted, then placed in each serving plate. Over the top of the bread, the vegetable-rich soup and cooked egg is added, then finished with plenty of olive oil. New harvest olive oil, which Ritrovo now has in stock, will be be the only condiment needed for this type of light brothy vegetable one-dish meal.

Other recipes for aquacotta and its variants are enlivened with the addition of other meats such as sauteed pork cheeks, or hot pepper flakes, such as our Michele Ferrante hot pepper.

Our Radici of Tuscany Ready-to-Eat Ribollita Toscana is a great opportunity to try a member of this classic Italian family of peasant recipes. Just heat and serve out of the jar, or thin with broth to make a richer version. Serving it over toasted bread cubes creates more of a classic Tuscan ribollita stew.

Or instead of bread, Pan di Luna Crackers can be topped with a heated jar of Radici of Tuscany Ribollita Soup. Or, simulate your own Ribolita by spreading toasted bread or Pan di Luna crackers with Radici of Tuscany kale pesto. Top with heated golden tomato and/or Radici of Tuscany tomatoes, season with La Bella Angiolina Ligurian Herb Salt and plenty of extra virgin olive oil.

A simple, vegetable-rich soup like this honors the real peasant tradition of central Italy, and the tenets of a healthy, Mediterranean diet.