Ribollita is a good easy base recipe to use with lots of different things mixed in or on top this recipe pairs it up with sausages but it could just as easily be chicken, fish, duck anything really. It’s actually an Italian soup but it can really be more like a vegetable stew thing – lots of things in here to keep you alive. Recommended.

Ingredients
Can of cannellini beans
Garlic 2 cloves,
Head of celery
Carrot 1 medium,
Onions (red/white) 2 medium
olive oil 55ml
Tomatoes 6-8 medium
Can of chopped tomatoes
Flat leaf parsley
Swiss chard/ spring greens/ spinach
Stale crusty bread enough to cover the cooking pot in one even layer
Sausages (this recipe has x6 Toulouse)
Sea salt, black pepper and olive oil to finish

Step 1 – finely dice (that means small cubes moron) the garlic, onion, celery and carrot – this should take you NO MORE than ten mins any more and you are fannying about. It’s not a vegetable beauty contest. Just chop. Watch your fingers – thumb always behind your fingers on the hand holding the veg – it should NEVER be lingering alone and sneaking near the knife.

Step 2 – put all these diced veg into a heavy big pot and heat gently till start to soften. Chop tomatoes and add to pot (skin on)

Step 3 – Add can of chopped tomatoes and heat through till all veg are soft, add the cannellini beans. Stir through. This can now be taken off the hear and stored till you want to eat it in a Tupperware in fridge. It will be better tomorrow and this is good to do at the weekend to have ready on Monday al la me, your idol.

Step 4 – if eating now, put the sausages into a frying pan and begin to heat, could also do them under the grill.

Step 5 – chop up spinach or greens or whatever you are using and add to pot. Tear stale bread and add in layer on the top.

Step 6 – when the sausages are ready add to the pot and stir through the bread. Put the lid on and make the germolata if using.

Gremolata

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2-3 garlic cloves
1 untaxed lemon
Handful of flat leaf parsley

Chop garlic finely, grate the zest of the
Lemon, chop the parsley and mix together. This really improves any meat and tomato dish – think spag bol, meatballs etc. amaze. Sprinkle over and serve.

Ribollitastic.

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