Indulge in the comforting warmth of Zuppa Toscana Soup, an iconic Italian soup featuring a blend of delicious ingredients. Discover the secrets behind Olive Garden’s Toscana soup, and embark on a culinary journey that brings the taste of Tuscany to your table.
A Culinary Adventure in a Bowl
Italian cuisine is renowned for its diverse and flavorful offerings, and Zuppa Toscana stands out as a pleasant, satisfying soup that captures the essence of Tuscan comfort. Beyond being a simple dish, Zuppa Toscana soup is a culinary adventure, blending flavors and high-quality ingredients to create a bowl of warmth that transcends borders.
Unveiling the Zuppa toscana soup ingredients
Insideat takes you on a gastronomic exploration of Zuppa Toscana soup, revealing the key ingredients that make this soup a beloved favorite. Each component plays a crucial role in achieving the perfect balance of flavors and textures in this Tuscan delight. Bread, vegetable and legume soup is one of the symbols of traditional Tuscan peasant cuisine. The protagonists of this dish are stale bread, black cabbage and cannellini beans, accompanied by bacon and other ingredients that bind the soup and make it full-bodied and fragrant.
Given the presence of black cabbage it is easy to understand that this is a winter recipe. In fact, in this season this plant of the Brassicaceae family grows and is harvested. It is a plant very rich in vitamins and mineral salts, very healthy. But it also has a unique flavor and texture, different from those of other types of cabbage, which is why over time it has become the protagonist of one of the most iconic Tuscan preparations, Ribollita. Ribollita (meaning boiled twice) is the Tuscan soup cooked and reheated several times, until it becomes denser and fuller-bodied. Furthermore, it is a recipe that comes from peasant tradition, prepared with typical ingredients from the garden. It was typical to serve Tuscan soup in the olive’s garden, during the winter work of harvesting and then pruning.
Crafting a Bowl of Comfort
Creating Zuppa Toscana soup is an art that involves a carefully orchestrated process.
Ingredients (serving 6)
- 1 onion;
- 2 sticks of celery;
- 2 carrots;
- 100g of bacon or cured pork cheek – Guanciale (optional);
- 3 bunches of kale (black cabbage);
- 500 g of peeled tomatoes;
- 600 g of boiled cannellini beans (also use their cooking water);
- 600 g of stale bread (sourdough);
- 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil;
- Salt;
- Black pepper;
- 1 clove of Garlic;
- Thyme
Preparation
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil and the diced bacon or Guanciale (optional) in a large saucepan; pour in the chopped onion, carrots, celery and Garlic. Fry over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Remove the garlic and add the roughly chopped green parts of the black cabbage, remembering to eliminate the central ribs (the hardest part).
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato and a glass of water; cook over low heat for 40 minutes.
- Add the beans and their water to the soup (if necessary). If desired, you can blend half the beans to make the soup creamier.
- Cook the soup for another 30 minutes, until it reaches the desired consistency.
- To serve the soup, arrange the bread slices in a bowl and pour over the hot soup. Wait 5 minutes before serving.
- The Tuscan soup is also delicious the next day, when it is boiled again, even with bread. It will become very creamy and will be called Ribollita.
Bringing Tuscany to Your Table
Insideat doesn’t just share recipes; it brings the heart of Tuscany for a marvelous Chianti cooking class experience. You’ll not only enjoy the delicious flavors of great food and Chianti wine, but also immerse yourself in the rich cultural tapestry of Italian cuisine. Transform your kitchen into a haven of culinary exploration.
Join Insideat for a tasty adventure in Tuscany!
