Ribollita Recipe

Ah, Ribollita…the Tuscan soup that’s a perfect antidote to winter.  Hearty and robust, it’s packed with vegetables and day-old bread making it far more a stew than a soup.  Its origins are precise.  Its roots are in the peasant foods of Tuscany particularly in the area between Florence and Arezzo.  It takes its name from the way it was prepared. A large quantity would be cooked on Friday and it was re-boiled (ribollita) the following days.  Its origins are in the Middle Ages when the nobles used slices of bread as plates for their dinners. Their servants would gather these up from their lords’ banquets, add whatever vegetables they had on hand and boil it all up on the stove. If you have ever gone in search for a recipe for Ribolitta,…