A hearty winter stew with lentils and greens

The idea for this stew started from a bag of greens and some slightly stale rolls. I thought of ribollita, that great Italian hearty soup based on cavolo nero, cannelini beans and bread. Why not do a version using spring greens, and lentils instead of beans, I wondered?

The end result is not really anything like ribollita, but it is a great, warming, substantial (and healthy) soup/stew, perfect for a cold night.

And like ribollita (which literally means 'reboiled'), it is just as good, if not better, the next day - so do make extra if you can.

Ingredients

Serves 4 (or 2 with enough for leftovers)

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
1 400g tin green, brown or Puy lentils, or 200g dried
300g chopped greens (I used a bag of spring greens, but you could use kale or cavolo nero, or even spinach)
4 stale rustic-style rolls or about 200g bread from a good-quality unsliced white loaf
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve (optional)


Method

If using dried lentils, start by rinsing them and boiling in water until tender - about half an hour. You can skip this step if using tinned lentils.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook for about five minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes, bay leaves, and rosemary. Add the tinned or cooked lentils, and simmer for five minutes before adding the greens. Add enough boiling water so the greens are just submerged. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes, or until tender. You should have a fairly thick soup/stew. Taste and season as necessary.

Slice the bread and arrange it between 4 serving bowls. Ladle over the stew. Serve just as it is, or with some fresh basil leaves and/or a drizzle of olive oil.

If you're making leftovers, you can do it ribollita-style and add the bread to the soup now, in which case the bread will absorb the juices and the stew will become very thick and the bread quite soft. Or if that's not the effect you're looking for, you can add the bread when you serve it the next day.

Variations: A pinch of chilli powder and some dried thyme or herbes de Provence will add some extra flavour. You can also add other vegetables, such as chopped courgettes or peas.