Sunday Stew: Ribollita

C. and I went to a cooking class at Pippin Hill (part of my Christmas present). The theme was soups and stews and we came out learning how to cook 4 amazing dishes. One of these dishes was chicken Ribollita. Ribollita is a Tuscan word meaning reboiled rightfully given to this soup which sometimes is made from left over minestrone soup. It is a typical peasant stew made with bread and beans. 
We added a few veggies and a less peasant (more hippie) item: kale! We are on night two of eating this and it is still mouth wateringly good! Serves 6

lots of chopping!

Ingredients
3/4 bottle of dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
5 cups water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig rosemary, whole
1 sprig thyme, whole
2 bay leaves
5 cloves garlic, diced
8 chicken thighs, skin removed, bone in
1/2 cup canned cannellini beans, drained
Italian Bread, sliced into 6 thin(.5 inch) slives
1 leek, white and light green parts only, chopped and cleaned*
1 celery stalk, chopped

Soaking the leeks

1 carrot (or 12 baby carrots), chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 lb kale, chopped and stems removed

*to clean leek, fill a bowl with water, sprinkle leeks on it and let dirt settle for 15 minutes. Scoop out leeks

In a large thick bottomed pot, heat 3 tbsp oil at medium-high heat
Make sure it's hot before placing chicken thighs in
Brown both sides and remove and reserve on a plate
Add 1 tbsp oil, the leek, carrots, zucchini, onions, celery, and bay leaves

Adding the wine

Saute for 8 minutes until starting to get soft-I like to use a wooden spoon
Add the dry white wine (called deglaze) and add the herbs, mushrooms and garlic
Stir for about 5 minutes
Add the water and beans
Bring to a boil and add chicken thighs
Allow to cook on simmer and for about 2 hours, covered

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F

Garlic rubbing the bread

Place sliced bread in the oven until toasted lightly
Remove and rub with a cut garlic clove (sounds crazy, but really works)
When soup has cooked, add kale and allow 15 minutes to wilt
Add bread and stir until well broken up
Serve with a kale chip on top (place a few pieces of kale in the oven for about 3 minutes while the bread is toasting)
or with parmesan cheese