Minestra di pane

Minestra di pane, translated as bread soup, is a traditional Tuscan dish made with day-old stale bread and a mixture of fresh garden vegetables. The recipe has peasant origins (hence the use of varied offerings from the Tuscan soil) and must always incorporate two key ingredients: beans and black cabbage. The original version of minestra di pane uses unsalted pratese bread with an assortment of vegetables such as celery, potatoes, onions, carrots, courgettes, tomato paste, and olive oil. It is served as the first dish and can also be used the next day as a base for a traditional ribollita.