Ingredients:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cups chopped celery

3 cups chopped carrots

3 leeks, cleaned and chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

3 bunches Kale, cleaned and de-ribbed, and chopped

2 bay leaves

½ head of chopped savoy cabbage

2 bunches swish chard

4 cups chopped tomatoes

4 cans of canellinni beans

6 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1 loaf of crusty Italian bread.

Directions:

Place the olive in a large stainless steel soup pot on the stove over medium heat. Put the celery, carrots, leeks, and garlic in the pot, and slowly sauté the vegetables for 10 minutes. After the vegetables have had time to caramelize, add the 4 cups of chopped tomatoes, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the kale, bay leaves, savoy cabbage, and swiss chard. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

In a blender, combine 2 can of the strained canelllinni beans with two cups chicken stock. Blend well. You may need to do this in two batches if all of the contents don’t fit in your blender. Add this mixture to the soup pot.

Add the additional 2 cans of strained beans, along with the remaining 4 cups of chicken stock to the pot. Let this mixture cook for 30 minutes on low heat.

Add the chopped parsley and thyme.

Place a thick slice of crusty Italian bread in a large soup bowl.

Carefully ladle the finished soup over the bread.

Grate fresh pecorino or parmesan on top.

Delicious Ribollita