Bread soup
Difficulty
Easy
Preparation time
25 minutes
Cooking time
60 minutes
Serves
4 people
Bread soup is a traditional Tuscan dish of peasant cuisine prepared with stale bread and vegetables. Several different types of vegetables are added to stale bread, such as black cabbage, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, celery, carrots, and onions. The preparation of bread soup is similar to ribollita, another traditional Tuscan dish that needs further cooking steps.
Ingredients
- 400 grs stale Tuscan bread
- 400 grs ripe tomatoes
- 1 carrot
- 2 zucchinis
- 2 fresh spring onions
- pepper
- 300 grs dried beans
- 1 celery stick
- ¼ cabbage
- 1 onion
- salt
- oil
Preparation
- Soak dried beans for at least 15 hours (alternatively use precooked beans).
- Boil in salted water with a drizzle of oil.
- Dice vegetables and brown finely chopped onion in abundant olive oil.
- Add diced vegetables and cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Add beans, some whole and some mashed with a masher, their cooking water, tomatoes and let gently boil for about 2 hours.
- Add salt and pepper to your taste, add more water if necessary. Slice bread.
- Once cooking is finished, alternate in a bowl broth and bread for a total of 3 or 4 layers.
- Adding a drizzle of oil and fresh finely chopped spring onions before serving.
- The famous “ribollita” is made with remaining bread soup cooked in a saucepan with olive oil. This dish is much tastier the following day.