Antonella's Recipe for Ribollita

"At the first signs of cold weather and when fog puts in an appearance, your mind turns to tasty, warming food. Ribollita is a simple soup and perfect for this time of year. Just think: this recipe started in medieval times when the well-to-do would eat using their bread as a plate which was then given to the servants. The bread would be put with other basic ingredients like beans and green vegetables and boiled and then again and again (ribollita) and would be eaten for practically days on end ….

As with all well-known recipes, every cook has their secrets. I only use vegetables which are in season and cavolo nero (black cabbage) when it's "taken a bit of frost", when early frosts have softened its leaves; two sorts of beans, borlotti and cannellinni, (kidney and white beans) and a lot of pepper. And make a lot because everybody will want a second helping!"

Antonella, the Melini Winery

Ingredients for 4 people

For the beans:

• 200g cannellini beans, 200g borlotti beans, extra-virgin olive oil, 1 garlic clove, rosemary, salt and pepper

For the soup:

• 200g cavolo nero, 200g savoy cabbage, 2 medium-sized potatoes, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 1 celery stick, salt and pepper

Good-quality stale bread

A simple and really tasty recipe!

In a wide and deep-ish pan warm the oil with the garlic and rosemary and add the beans that have been left to soak in water for at least 12 hours. Pour in water until everything is covered (sometimes I use chicken broth if I want to make it even tastier) and leave to simmer on a low heat for 45-60 minutes. Put in the salt and pepper only when the beans are already tender.

In another pan cook on a high flame for 5 minutes oil, the onion rings, diced carrot and small pieces of celery; lower the heat and add the chopped-up potato, and after five minutes the savoy cabbage and cavolo nero cut into strips. You can use the water (or the chicken broth) for cooking the beans to soften everything.

Add half of the whole beans, make a purée with the other half and then stir the whole lot in with the vegetables.

Meanwhile tear the bread into chunks and place in the oven to brown. Put a layer on the bottom of a terra-cotta bowl, pour over this the vegetables with their broth, put another layer of bread and again the vegetable soup. Season with freshly ground pepper and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Serve it up very hot!

Our sommelier's recommendations on what to drink with Ribollita.

Here there can't be really any doubt about it; the traditional pairing is with Chianti. It's a matching based on where they come from, a Tuscan dish going together with the most classic of local wines. But it's also a typical example of a pairing of contrast in which the soup and the wine balance out.: the sweetness of the vegetables and above all of the savoy cabbage being set off against the zest of the Sangiovese, the tannins and alcohol of the wine compensate for the succulence of the food. The Chianti also adds a touch of spiciness making the pairing more complex and flavorsome. We would suggest Chianti Governo, a rich, fruity and rounded wine or, if you like a more structured and traditional Chianti, treat yourself to a Riserva Vigneti La Selvanella, a real Sangiovese cru, complete and complex, full-bodied and tasty.

Try out our recipe and our Chianti wines straightaway!