La Ribolitta

To make the soffritto, pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook the onion gently, use this time to chop the carrot and celery and add them to the pot as you go along. Once you have added the garlic, leave to cook for a few minutes.

Strip the leaves of the cabbage. Wash and finely chop the stems and roughly chop the leaves. Add the cabbage stems and zucchini to the soffritto and cook, occasionally stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have changed to an opaque color and soaked up some of the olive oil.

Stir in the beans and cook for 5 minutes more, then add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Add the cabbage leaves and mix into the soup, stirring until just wilted. Add the wine and stock and gently simmer for 40 minutes.

Add the bread to the saucepan; if the bread is very fresh, dry it out a little in the oven first to prevent it disintegrating into the soup. Mix briefly and remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave for 10 minutes. This rests the soup and allows the flavors to mingle. Serve hot but not boiling with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

For reheating the soup, make sure it comes to a boil but then remove it from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Serve in cold bowls. The soup should be warm, rather than piping hot.