– by Neil White (on my Kindle) – a really, really interesting book. It’s a memoir about the year the author spent in prison in Louisiana. About his sanctimonious attitude when he arrived there (he was convicted of kiting checks trying to keep his publishing business afloat) and what he learns during his year. But as much as it’s about his life as a prisoner, it’s more about the other residents of the prison – the last remaining lepers (Hansen’s Disease) who are provided for in the facility. Neil White is quite a character and I wondered more than once if he was ever going to “get it,” that he was greedy and egotistical. The book wasn’t published for about 10 years after his release, so at least he didn’t profit immediately by telling tales. The epilogue was so sad – listing the deaths of many of the leprosy patients and some of the inmates he came to call friends. One person at amazon commented that it was not worth reading because the author profited from his incarceration, and that he didn’t appear to have redeemed himself. I disagree – I think he did. If he didn’t, then he knows how to spin a good yarn. I choose to believe he learned a whole lot about himself and where his life took a (wrong) left turn, and that he’s trying to atone for his failings by publishing the book. You decide.
- by P.D. James (on my Kindle) – if I hadn’t read about this book in the Los Angeles Times a week or so ago I’d never have pursued this book. It’s nothing even close to her wealth of books of the mystery genre. But yes, it IS a mystery (not something I normally read) but it takes place about 5 years after Pride and Prejudice leaves off. That was the hook for me. An entertaining read and a way to keep in touch with all the lovable (and not-so) characters from Jane Austen’s classic. It’s not a page-turner in the true mystery-murder style, but it’s fun to read.
– by Judith Ryan Hendricks – I picked up this book at a lending library I use now and then. I have to laugh, though – the collection of books (probably numbering about 350 or so) is divided by paperback and hardback. And then by color. COLOR? I find that so ludicrous. But anyway, the title caught my eye. It’s definitely a novel, about a youngish woman who’s been a baker and a chef, but who is suddenly single. It’s about her struggle to find herself, to find a new rhythm of life. In the telling of the journey some recipes are included (baked goods, including bread-bread), which are available on the 
– by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) – most everyone who reads blogs knows about Ree – the Pioneer Woman, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma. She’s always entertaining, whimsical and enjoyable to read. A couple of years ago she wrote a memoir of her romance with Ladd, her now husband. I can’t count how many times, as I was reading this, that I was LOLing (Laughing Out Loud). She is such a witty writer and knows how to tell a story. Even though I know she married Ladd and has since had 4 children, I was caught up in her story from the first page. I wrote it up in more detail on
– (on my Kindle) Michael Tucker (from L.A. Law some years ago) and his wife, on a whim almost, buy a home in Umbria. An old, old, old house with two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, I think, and a nice terrace (where a lot of living goes on in Italian homes and families). It’s the story of the purchase itself, the friends they meet, the neighbors, how Michael finds the best butcher(s), bakers and candlestick makers. It made me long for another trip to Italy, actually. They enlarge the home, although they’re not there for most of the construction. It’s a similar tale to Frances Mayes’ books and Peter Mayle’s books too, but it’s different. Tucker is a TV star; his wife’s a stage actress. They live on some higher plane than I do, for sure, with lots of friends with connections. But it’s a cute story and I enjoyed it clear to the end.
(Stacy Schiff); 
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Multi-vegetable soup, Italian style, with some rough torn bread croutons on top. Missing from the photo: the tendrils of fresh basil and cilantro that were supposed to be sprinkled all over the top.
Ribollita. Sounds like it ought to be a girl’s name. The Italian word actually means “reboiled.” So if you lived in Italy you certainly wouldn’t want to be named Ribollita! Historically it’s a Tuscan soup – a method of re-serving minestrone soup – the next day – and making it different with the bread, beans and greens. Ribollita always contains cannellini beans and some greens like kale or Swiss chard. I’ve had this at restaurants now and then, but wanted to make my own. My friend Linda stopped by for dinner after having a crown put in, and she wanted something she didn’t have to chew. This fit that need very well. And it’s very healthy (only 14 grams of fat for a 1 1/2 cup serving). Mostly it’s vegetables, although I added in some ham cubes because I had them. You could also make this without the meat.
The preparation – you could probably make this soup in less than 30 minutes if you had all the vegetables ready to go. There is a bit of chopping and mincing involved (onions, carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, kale, Swiss chard, mushrooms, zucchini). I used my handy-dandy Alligator Dicer
The result? It’s worth the work. I read a variety of recipes for this soup and discovered that you can just about do your own thing. So I did. I added oregano – next time I’d add some rosemary, or maybe some Herbs de Provence. I added the ham and kale. I’d read a recipe in an old Sunset Magazine for this soup and it showed the rough torn bread cubes floating on top of the soup, so I decided to do it that way too. This may not wow your audience, but it was certainly delicious and healthy. The bread cubes are essential, so don’t eliminate that part – they provide aesthetics and some crunchy texture. I had ample to send a small care package home with Linda and enough for two portions to go into my freezer’s “soup library.”
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Ribollita (Italian Vegetable and Bread Soup)
Recipe By: My own concoction
Serving Size: 8
NOTES: buy a ciabatta loaf and roughly tear off pieces of it (large bite size) and toast in a 350 oven for about 5 minutes (use broiler if you can watch it carefully). If you want a more flavorful soup, add some rosemary, a Bay leaf, and some thyme. You can also use Parmesan cheese rinds in a soup like this (you do save them, right?). They merely flavor the soup – don’t eat them. You can also add more beans to this, and/or some rice. In the authentic version you slice off a piece of bread and put it in the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup on top. This version uses less bread and you just toast the cubes and plop them on top. The croutons don’t get totally soaked in the soup. The quantities of the vegetables are approximate – add more or less of things if it suits you or you don’t have sufficient amounts.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 medium white onions — chopped
4 cloves garlic — minced
2 whole leeks — cleaned and chopped
3 stalks celery — chopped
3 whole carrots — peeled, chopped
2 cups ham cubes — (or use 2-3 slices of minced bacon)
32 ounces canned tomatoes — (including juice)
8 cups chicken broth — (or Penzey’s chicken soup base + water)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 medium zucchini — chopped
4 ounces mushrooms — sliced
4 cups Swiss chard — chopped
4 cups kale — chopped
3 cups Savoy cabbage — chopped
15 ounces canned cannelini beans — drained, rinsed Salt and pepper to taste
TOPPINGS:
2 cups croutons
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese — shaved in shards
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil — to drizzle on top
1/4 cup fresh basil — sliced
1/4 cup cilantro — chopped
1. In a large, heavy pot heat the olive oil. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes until it’s wilted but not browned. Add garlic and leeks and continue cooking until leeks have begun to soften. Add celery and carrots. Add ham, tomatoes, chicken broth and oregano and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes until carrots are cooked. Add zucchini and mushrooms and continue simmering for about 5 minutes. Then add canned beans, Swiss chard, kale and cabbage. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the greens are just tender. Taste for seasoning.
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 and toast the roughly torn bread cubes – using the broiler if necessary to brown them.
3. Have all the topping ingredients ready. Scoop about 1 1/2 cups of the soup into a wide soup bowl. Top with the Parmesan, basil, cilantro and the toasty-hot bread cubes and serve.
Per Serving: 347 Calories; 14g Fat (35.0% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 21mg Cholesterol; 1678mg Sodium.
A year ago: Guacamole
Two years ago: Orange Jalapeno Vinaigrette
Joanne
said on March 5th, 2010:
My family loves Ribolitta…I make a version of Giada DeLaurentiis’. For the bread part, you grill ciabatta and then rub it with garlic. You put it in the bottom of the bowl and then spoon the soup over it…absolutely delicious. It has pancetta in it for extra flavor…delicious. I will try your recipe next time.
I like the idea of rubbing garlic on the bread. I’ll have to try that next time. I think ribollita is a very forgiving recipe – you can put in whatever you want in the way of vegetables, greens and bread! . . . carolyn T