Ribollita reboiled

After 24 hours of much anticipation, we reheated the Ribollita.  Before heating it was as thick as stew, and only slightly thinned upon heating.  Per the recipe, I served each bowl with a splash of olive oil and the chopped oil cured black olives and grated parmiggiano reggiano.

The addition of those three toppings makes this soup.  The saltiness of the olives, the tang of the cheese and the richness when you have a little pool of olive oil in your spoonful is absolutely divine.  Just as I cautioned about the necessity of the grated cheese for the Wild Rice, Butternut Squash and Cannellini Bean Stew, the olive oil, black oil cured olives and parmiggiano reggiano are necessary to elevate this dish.  It has been quite a lesson for me on how important these "extra" items added to the top at the end, rather than cooked in, can be to adding complexity of flavor and taking a dish to wow.

Now, as Wayne says, I must follow my muse as I decide what to make next.  In the meantime we'll get a couple more yummy meals out of this pot of Ribollita.