Cooking Group Week Two: Tuscan Ribollita

Tripp and I love soup so I'm trying to expose the kids to more of it. Kyle will eat the canned variety but Abbie won't eat any. For this week's cooking group I decided to try a soup recipe that I found in Cookie magazine. It has Parmesan, tomatoes and ham in it so I figured Kyle would at least give it a try. Daisy loves beans so I new she'd be happy with the 3 cans of cannelinnis it calls for and Abbie, well, I just hoped she might test it.

The soup was yummy, and easy to prepare as soups go. Not my favorite bean soup but definitely one I would make again. As expected, Kyle took a few bites, Abbie totally abstained (as she does from most meals) and Daisy dug right in. She loved every single bite of it. Not only does it have beans, ham, carrots and celery but kale as well. I was thrilled as it gave my soup an extra nutritious kick and since Daisy is still on the smaller side, she could use all the vitamins she can get. I served the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. Enjoy!

Tuscan Ribollita - as found in the October 2009 Edition of Cookie Magazine
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (I only used one)
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 oz. pancetta or ham, chopped (I used pancetta)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 15 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (I used a can of diced tomatoes out of my stockpile)
1 15 oz. cans cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan (I actually dumped about 1/2 cup into the soup itself)
1. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the first five ingredients in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth, and rosemary. Simmer, covered, until the beans break apart, about an hour.
3. Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more. Stir in the break crumbs and serve, drizzled with the remaining olive oil and sprinkled with the cheese.