On the previous day, soak the beans in plenty of water for at least 12 hours or overnight; one day would be better as they get easier to digest.
Once tender, drain the beans;
In a pot, heat a little oil with a sprig of rosemary, add the beans, and cover with water;
Put a lid on and cook over a medium-low heat for about 1 hour. They are done when you can easily smash them with a fork; if they still seem to be tough, cook them for another 10-15 minutes;
Add some salt and remove the rosemary;
Take half of the beans, and set aside the other half (which will be added whole at the end of the recipe) with the cooking liquid;
Blend half of the beans with an immersion blender to make a kind of broth to cook the soup in. According to the original recipe, you should smash the beans in their cooking liquid;
Add a ladle of cooking liquid to make the beans softer and more liquidy (if you haven’t saved the cooking water add a ladle of water);
If you are using canned beans, skip the previous steps: your recipe starts here,
Peel and finely slice the onion, dice the carrots and the celery;
Sauté the vegetables in a big stockpot with 3-4 spoons of extra virgin olive oil for 1 minute;
Peel and cut the potato into small cubes;
Add the potato cubes to the vegetables and cook for a few minutes;
Add the thyme to taste. If using fresh, tie it with some kitchen twine so you can remove it more easily;
Add the tomatoes; smash them with a fork and combine well;
Clean, wash and slice the Savoy cabbage, the lacinto kale, the chard, and add them to the pot;
Bring the soup to a rolling boil, remove the lid, and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally;
Add the cooking liquid from the beans or the hot vegetable broth;
When the soup is almost ready (it is thicker and the vegetables are tender) season with salt and pepper;
Add the whole beans;
Cover it with more hot broth and simmer for 30-40 minutes;
Season with salt and pepper to taste;
Let the vegetable soup sit for a while;
Take a big soup pot and place some coarsely cut bread onto the bottom of the pot, then pour in half of the soup; place other pieces of bread and cover them with the remaining soup;
Put a lid on and set aside to rest (from 2 hours until the following day). Let it cool down at room temperature and then refrigerate;
Take the soup out of the fridge: the bread has soaked up the liquid and the ribollita looks semi-solid;
Add a couple of ladles of broth and heat it up for 10 minutes;
You may add some red pepper flakes or fresh thyme leaves;
Season with a little extra virgin olive oil;
The ribollita should be eaten very hot;
Don’t forget to share it with those you love on a gloomy winter day.