Ribollita with Beemster Extra Old

Main course. 6 persons. Preparation 35 min. + 1 hr. and 30 min. waiting time + 15 min. oven time

Ingredients

• 3 winter carrots
• 2 onions
• 2 stalks of celery
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sprig of sage
• 800 ml peeled San Marzano tomatoes (canned)
• ½ stale sourdough bread (about 400 g)
• 300 g uncut kale
• 100 g Beemster Extra Old
• 720 g white beans (pot)
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Kitchen Stuff

• Baking paper
• Hand blender with tall cup

Prepare

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Peel and cut the winter carrots into ½-inch cubes. Cut the onions and celery into similarly sized cubes. Slice the garlic.
2. Heat 5 tbsp olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add the carrot, onion, celery and a pinch of salt. Sauté until soft and sweet in about 8 min. Be careful not to brown this soffritto so that it retains its sweetness. If it goes too fast, turn down the heat.
3. Add the garlic and sage for the last 2 min. Deglaze with the peeled tomatoes and 400 ml of water. Bring to the boil and simmer on low heat for 30 min. Crush the large tomatoes a bit with a spatula.
4. Meanwhile, cut the bread into coarse pieces (about 6 cm) and divide on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Toast the bread for about 12 min in the center of the oven until golden brown and crispy.
5. Tear the leaves of the kale from the hard veins. Tear the leaves into coarse strips about 6 cm long. Add 1.75 liters of water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, put the lid on the pan at an angle and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 min.
6. Meanwhile, grate the cheese. Rinse the beans and coarsely puree ¼ in a tall mug with the hand blender. Add the puree to the soup along with the whole beans, mix gently so that the bread remains as whole as possible, and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 min. Season with the vinegar (start with 1 tbsp), pepper and salt to taste. Ladle the soup into deep plates and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and grated cheese.

Preparation tip
You can also use cavolo nero (palm cabbage) instead of kale.

Serving tip
The soup is even tastier the next day and also freezes well.

Want to try a different soup? Then check out the celeriac cheese soup recipe.