Ribollita — Tuscan Bread and Bean Soup

Ribollita — 'reboiled' — is the iconic Tuscan cucina povera of bean-and-bread soup cooked once, cooled, then reheated (reboiled) the next day until it thickens to a mass that holds its shape on a ladle. At that stage it is sometimes fried in a thin layer in a pan with olive oil, browning the underside like a savory bread cake. The defining vegetables are cavolo nero (Tuscan black kale), cannellini beans, and stale bread — and the flavour depends entirely on the quality of all three.