Ribollita (reboiled soup from heaven)

Serves 10-12, makes about a gallon

Ribollita means "reboiled" in Italian, so this is essentially a peasant soup that uses yesterday's leftover bread and adds in whatever is nearby and handy. Like "refrigerator chili", you add what you have. This version works with the ingredients we have handy in the pantry and are in season in store right now.

It ends up being very healthy because it is basically almost no-fat - except for the olive oil you saute with and the cheese and sausage. Other than that it is spoonful after spoonful of awesome broth, kale, and beans. With some bits of carrot and sausage hidden here and there.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans cannellini beans
  
• 8 cups of vegetable stock/broth
  
• 4 onions, chopped
  
• 3 carrots, chopped
  
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
  
• 1 leek, chopped
  
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped (double if you're sick)
  
• 1 bundle of "crinkly" kale, sliced into 1" wide chunks
  
• 1 quart of tomato puree
• 2 good-sized sprigs of fresh rosemary
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red hot pepper
  
• 4 links of sausage, sliced
• 2 or 3 cups of stale bread (cut into cubes, I like to add something wheat-y like our focaccia)

Making The Soup:

1. Saute the onion, carrot, leeks (optional, it is really great, but our grocery doesn't always have it) and celery in some olive oil for 8 minutes.
   
2. Add the chopped garlic and saute for a 2 minutes.
3. Add kale and saute for 2 or 3 minutes.
4. Add the thyme, rosemary and hot pepper flakes.
5. Cover with 2 quarts of vegetable stock and add the tomatoes.
6. If you have a piece of dried up parmesan cheese in the fridge, now is the time to add it.
7. Add some sliced sausage - we like chicken sausage with bell peppers..
8. Simmer, simmer, simmer on medium-low for about 40 minutes.
9. Add the beans and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
10. Add stale bread in the last five minutes.
    
11. Serve with grated parmesan.