Here we bring together flavors and ingredients from the Balkan peninsula, Japan, the Middle East, and the 1960 Health Food Movement.  And – hey! – it works…   More than anything, it reminds me of palak paneer – the beloved Indian dish of cheese cubes in richly spiced spinach gravy.  Except we use tofu instead of paneer, red peppers instead of spinach, etc.   

And it’s so nutritious!  It’s all plants.  Lots of protein.  The roasted peppers and sun-dried tomatoes load us up with carotenoids to protect the eyes and vascular system.  Fermented miso paste gives us probiotics.  Brewer’s yeast is a B-vitamin powerhouse (in addition to being a vegan flavor superstar).  Sesame tahini is a treasure trove of minerals.  I could go on. 

1. In a blender, blend everything but the tofu and miso.   (“Everything” includes the oil from the tomatoes, and brine from the peppers).   It’s up to you if you want to blend it velvety-smooth, or leave it a little coarser.

2. In a soup pot, simmer until it tastes more cooked than raw – about 15 minutes.      

3. Remove from heat, stir in the tofu, and let sit until it’s no longer hot enough to burn your finger.  That’s how you tell it’s cool enough it won’t kill the probiotics in the miso.

4. Stir in the miso, adjust salt, and serve.    

5.  You don’t need any more flavors.  But you could absolutely add a tablespoon of anything you want, at any point in the cooking process…  It’s also pretty great with some shredded parmesan on top… but then it’s no longer vegan.  Have fun!

6. Serve with rice, naan, or on its own

(a traditional Turkish red lentil soup)

When I was 19, I spent seven weeks traveling around Turkey on $10 a day. On that budget, we ate a lot of soup! The ubiquitous red lentil soup was a staple, and I never grew tired of it.

I’m revisiting that memory now, first of all because it’s January. Time for something warm. Time for a dietary reset, after all the excesses (caloric and budgetary) of the holiday season.

Also, the store finally got Turkish urfa chili flakes in the bulk spice section, and they’re a revelation. Sun-dried and aged. Dark purple, verging on black. Malty, umami, like a deep red wine. A pleasant medium heat. We add a little to the pot, but the real flavor comes through in the chili-oil swirl.

In a Dutch oven or similar heavy-bottom pot, soften the onion, carrots, and garlic in 2 Tbsp olive oil for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste, potato, cumin, coriander, 1 Tbsp urfa flakes, lentils, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until everything is soft, about 25 minutes.

Remove from heat, and blenderize until it’s smooth but not quite silky. Taste for salt and lemon.

Meanwhile, make the chili oil. In your smallest pot or saucepan, heat the urfa chili flakes in the remaining 4 Tbsp olive oil. Let it bubble around without burning for 2-3 minutes. Spoon over the soup, and give a quick swirl before serving.

Serve with lemon wedges. Some bread, salty white cheese, and olives on the table would also be nice. Cube some cucumbers and dress with olive oil. You have a meal.

Once again, our intrepid author / cook / photographer forgot to take a picture AFTER the recipe was completed. So… here’s a little montage of it being cooked. Imagine, though, if you will, crusty-soft-golden-brown crispy brothy chunks of bread beneath golden sizzles of parmesan, atop a dense vegetable soup, heady with garlic and rosemary. That’s the picture we should have taken!

Ribollita is the epitome of Italian peasant food. Simple. Flavorful. Nourishing. Balanced. Made from what’s lying around.  And, when executed with artistry, absolutely sublime.  A rich broth, heady with garlic and redolent of herbs.  A sprinkle of parmesan. Even a crust (sort of).  Peasant food, perhaps, but peasant food fit for a queen.  

The name Ribollita means “reboiled.” Traditionally, servants and peasants would make it from leftover bean-and-vegetable soup, thickened with some chunks of day-old bread, and then reheated with a few handfuls of greens. If you had some rosemary, great! Sometimes, you’d scrounge up a parmesan rind to infuse some flavor. 

If you actually have some nice garlicky minestrone around, you can skip right to step four. But I’m assuming you don’t, so we’re going to make this soup from scratch (well, except the canned beans…). And instead of just adding the bread, we’re going spread it on top, and bake it in the oven so the bread gets soft and brothy and crispy all at once. Like stuffing floating on soup.

Amply serves four   

1. Preheat oven to 425. Chop the carrots, celery, onion and garlic into soup-size chunks. Sautee in olive oil over medium heat, in a Dutch oven. Stir occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes, but save the juices. (To be clear, you want chopped tomatoes in thin juice, not crushed or ground tomatoes in thick sauce. The Cadia brand does nicely). I’ve been told a 15-oz can is more in line with tradition. But if you like tomatoes like I like tomatoes, go for a 29-oz can. Add to the pot and continue to cook and stir until they caramelize a bit, another 8-10 minutes. (This is why you leave the juices out: they caramelize better when they’re not too wet).

3. Add the reserved tomato juice, rosemary and pepper, beans, parmesan rind or 2 Tbsp grated parmesan (there are vegan options!), about 6 cups water, and 2 tsp salt; and simmer 8-10 more minutes. Remove the rosemary.   

4. Meanwhile, remove kale leaves from stems, and tear into chunks. Save the stems for stock some other meal. You won’t be able to fit all the kale in the pot until it starts to wilt, so add about a third… wait till it wilts… add more, etc. Finally, fish out the parmesan rind if you used it.

5. Tear the bread into rough chunks around the size of golf balls, give or take. Mix a third of the chunks in the soup to thicken, and nestle the rest on top. Sprinkle with some more parm, drizzle with some more oil. 

6. Bake at 425 about 10 minutes. Serve with more oil and parm if you want.   

Takes about five minutes of prep! And a few hours of waiting and marinating. Serves 2-4.

Before we get into the recipe itself, let’s talk about the choice of protein. Tofu or Pumfu (a richer version of tofu made from pumpkin seeds) are easy to work with, and require no prep. If, on the other hand, you use fish, use a high quality fish from someone you trust. And start frozen. For the average-thickness fillet, you want to take it out of the freezer about 10 minutes ahead of time. Fish that has just started to thaw is the easiest to cut.

Dice your protein into hearty bite-sized chunks. In a bowl, add all the ingredients except the lime wedges. Gently toss. Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours (overnight is perfect, too). Before serving in bowls or over rice, taste, adjust seasoning. Garnish with more cilantro leaves and serve with lime wedges.