Ribòl Trentino

Ingredients

• 400 g cold leftover polenta, at least 24 hours old, broken into rough chunks
• 1.5 litres beef or pork bone broth, real bone broth, made from bones not stock cubes
• 200 g borlotti beans, cooked; tinned or pre-soaked and boiled
• 60 g lard
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, generous
• to taste salt, generous; season the soup as well as the polenta chunks
• To finish (optional)
• to taste extra-virgin olive oil, raw, for drizzling
• to taste Grana Trentino, freshly grated

Method

1. 1
   Melt the lard in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook gently until softened and translucent, with no colour.
2. 2
   Pour in the bone broth and bring to a steady simmer. The broth must be strong and well-seasoned at this stage — the polenta will thicken it further and amplify any weakness in its base. This is where the dish lives or dies.
3. 3
   Add the borlotti beans and season generously with salt and black pepper. Stir briefly to combine and return to a simmer.
4. 4
   Break the cold polenta into rough chunks and add to the simmering broth. Do not stir aggressively — the chunks must hold their shape initially before partial dissolution begins. The polenta must be at least 24 hours old; fresh polenta will disintegrate immediately into a gluey mass.
5. 5
   Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The ribòl is done when the broth has thickened to a porridge-like consistency: some polenta chunks remain distinct while the surrounding liquid is starchy and unified. The texture is neither broth nor solid — it is a single, thick, cohesive mass.
6. 6
   Taste and adjust salt and black pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls. Finish, if desired, with a drizzle of raw olive oil and grated Grana Trentino.