Ribollita (Tuscan Minestrone) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 leek, white part only,chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 carrots, sliced into half inch rounds
4 zucchini, sliced into half inch rounds
1/4 whole savoy cabbage, shredded and chopped
2 cups kale, shredded
2 cups spinach, shredded
4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into one half inch cubes
1 cup green beans, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups cooked cannellini beans, 1 cup pureed,the other left whole
5 cups broth, of your choice,plus
more broth, to thin soup
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lb stale Italian bread, sliced and cut into 1 inch cubes
grated parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and saute the onion and leek together over low heat until they begin to caramelize; add the garlic and saute for 1 minute; add all the remaining vegetables; season to taste and stir to mix; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables have reduced in volume by half; stir again and add broth; bring to a boil and then lower the heat; add the tomato paste and stir to dissolve; cover and cook the soup for 1 hour; add the beans.
The next day, reheat soup gently and stir in the bread cubes until the bread has turned into a mush (this takes about 10-15 minutes); if the soup is too thick, thin with more stock to suit your taste.
Serve at table with freshly-cracked black pepper, grated parmesan cheese, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.