In Tuscany: A Peasant Stew

TUSCANY, ITALY - In Tuscany, in the northern part of the country, the region is known for its olive groves and vineyards that produce some of the purest extra virgin olive oil and wine in the world.

At Villa Casagrande, the head chef (pictured
at right)is cooking up a storm.
Multiple burners going at once.
His hands are a blur of motion.

He adds a glass of white wine to a pot that
gently cooks chicken livers, which will be added
to thin slices of toasted bread to make a Crostini Neri.

Red wine is poured into a second pot, where small chunks of steak simmer for a meat sauce that will be added to pasta.
Simultaneously on a table, cookies are being dipped into coffee and prepared for tiramisu.

Olive oil, carrots, onions, rosemary and sage are plentiful in the chef's kitchen, and
are a basis for many meals.

A funnel-shaped foil points upward, releasing steam from beans cooking in the pot, for placement in the Ribollita - a seasonal peasant stew, and ancient Tuscan vegetable stew recipe.

'Ribollita' refers to the 're-boiling' of the stew, which he says tastes better with each re-boiling.

RIBOLLITA (From Tuscany)

Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 finely chopped cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 large white potatoes, cubed
2 large zucchini, cubed
4 carrots, sliced
2 large bunches of chicory, rinsed well and chopped
4 large celery stalks, chopped
1 sprig of fresh parsley
1 quart of vegetable stock
2 cups of water (or enough to cover the vegetables)
1/2 cup of Chianti wine
2 cups of white cannellini beans (soaked overnight and steamed)
High-quality peasant bread, sliced

Add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a medium saucepan. Heat the oil and sauté the garlic and onions until golden (make certainnot to overcook or caramelize the garlic).

Add the tomato paste, salt and pepper and cook for several minutes until blended.

Add the potatoes, zucchini, carrots, chicory, celery and parsley and an additional
2 tablespoons of oil to the tomato mixture, coating the vegetables.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper and stir until well blended. Allow the greens to wilt.

Add the vegetable stock, water and wine and an additional tablespoon of oil.
Stir to ensure a thorough blend and allow to come to a rolling boil.
Simmer for 3½ hours, adding additional liquid as necessary.

Mash 1 cup of beans and stir into the mixture. Add the other cup of beans whole.
Cook uncovered for an additional half hour.

To serve, put one ladle of the mixture into a soup bowl. Top with one slice of bread.
Add additional mixture to fully cover the bread.

Serve with the remainder of the bread, toasted and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

by Thomas Dimopoulos
published in The Saratogian, March, 2005.