Castello D'Albola & Ribollita in Chianti

copyright 2010 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

Castello D’Albola is a medieval wonder..in Chianti…a  castle with a vineyard  that produces award winning wines and the castle is filled with so much history dating back to many a noble family. In honor of my visit there this weekend a traditional Tuscan soup..that dates back to the cucina povera (peasant kitchen) times in Italy..how times have changed ?   Today this is considered a gourmet dish.
Ribollita (literally means boiled twice)

1 lb of cannelini beans (dry)-soaked overnight, then cooked for approx 1 hour
1lb red cabbage
1 lb savoy cabbage
1/2 lb fresh spinach-cleaned
1/2 lb of red, ripe tomatoes
1 potato
1 stick  celery
1 carrot, peeled and cleaned
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
dash of thyme
dash of salt
1/2 lb of crusty bread sliced thick
grated pecorino cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cups vegetable broth
handful  fresh parsley leaves chopped
Place beans in cold vegetable broth and cook till tender. Finely chop onion, garlic, celery, carrot and parsley, place oil in saute pan and place in chopped veggies. Saute till golden brown, then add in thyme and the other vegetables-cut into large pieces. Add in salt,pepper and tomatoes. Add in some liquid from the boiling beans. When beans are tender, add in about 1/3 of them to the saute pan. Place 1/3 of bean mixture in food processor and blend. Set remaining third of beans to the side.
Add processed beans to saute pan. Simmer for approx 5 minutes. Place slice of bread at bottom of terra cotto or earthenware serving bowls and ladle soup on top of bread.Garnish with remaining third of beans and serve.
This soup is typically eaten the day after it is made (That is why it is called ribollita-twice boiled) and served with a drizzle of olive oil.
My interview with the wine maker at Castello D’Albola will be published here shortly..
For more great recipes get your copy of  the award winning The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition winner of the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
See you at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival on Sept 10 & 11