Farinata di cavolo nero (Tuscan Kale and Polenta Soup)

Frankpolenta, primi piatti, Soups, Toscana64 Comments

Farinata di cavolo nero

When I think of Tuscan cuisine, first and foremost, even before the classic bistecca alla fiorentina as wonderful as that is, I think of its hearty vegetable soups. The best known of these soups is probably  the ribollita, of course. But the most memorable Tuscan soup I’ve ever had was in a small trattoria in Florence. It was so many years ago that I’ve forgotten the name of the place, but I do remember the soup. It was called simply farinata on the menu, though the soup often goes by the longer name farinata di cavolo nero, perhaps to distinguish it from the Ligurian chickpea flatbread also called farinata. And like many classic Italian dishes, it goes by other names, too, such as infarinata, incavolata and intruglia.

Whatever you want to call it, the soup I had all those years ago was a kind of minestrone. It was so thick, it was more like a porridge than a soup. In this, it was a bit like ribollita in fact, but the thickener was polenta (hence the ‘farina‘) rather than bread. Like many classic dishes, there exist multiple versions of farinata di cavolo nero. Some are austerely simple, little more than kale and polenta simmered together. And although I love simplicity, as regular readers know, in this case I’m sticking with that fairly elaborate version I tried in Florence, all those years ago. I’ve been trying to replicate it at home for a long time, and the following recipe, while it didn’t quite capture the magic of that first experience for me, came pretty close.

Ingredients

For the beans:

  • 500g dried beans, soaked overnight
  • 12 cups of water
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly crushed
  • A sprig of fresh sage
  • A hunk of pancetta or prosciutto
  • Salt and pepper

For the soup:

  • A red onion, chopped
  • A carrot, chopped
  • A celery stalk, chopped
  • A small piece of lardo or pancetta, finely minced (optional)
  • 500g (1 lb) of cavolo nero (lacinato or dinosaur kale), stems removed and cut into strips
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

To thicken the soup:

  • 250g (1/2 lb) polenta (cornmeal), or more if you want a thicker dish

For the topping:

  • Olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Soak the beans overnight. The next day, rinse the beans well, then put them in a pot with at least 3 liters/12 cups of water. Add the garlic, sage, salt, and peppercorns, as well as the pancetta or prosciutto if using. Bring the beans to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer them until tender, about 45-60 minutes, depending on the beans.

Meanwhile, make your soffritto: heat the olive oil in a casserole, preferably terracotta or enameled cast iron. If using the lardo, mince it finely and sauté it gently in the olive oil until it has rendered most of its fat and slightly browned. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and let those sauté gently, too, until they are tender and the onion has turned translucent.

Add the kale, mixing it well with the soffritto so the kale is covered with the seasoned oil and aromatic vegetables, then let it cook down until the kale is wilted and well reduced.

When the beans are cooked, add them along with their cooking liquid to the casserole, topping up with water (or broth) if the vegetables are not covered. Simmer over a low flame until the kale is perfectly tender, about 30-45 minutes. Stir from time to time, and add water if needed to keep things loose. Along the way, you can crush some of the beans against the side of the casserole with a wooden spoon to thicken the soup.

When the kale is tender, add the polenta to the casserole in a thin stream, stirring all the time so it mixes will into the soup without lumping together. Continue simmering until the polenta is fully cooked, usually another 20 or 30 minutes. Add more liquid if the farinata starts to dry out. It should have the consistency of porridge.

Serve while still hot, with a good filo d’olio (drizzle of olive oil) and freshly ground black pepper.

 

Farinata di cavolo nero

Notes on Farinata di cavolo nero

The dish is pretty straightforward. The only really tricky part might be when it comes to adding the cornmeal. If you add it too fast, or without stirring vigorously the cornmeal may form clumps. Unpleasant, if not fatal. Otherwise, you’ll need to be armed with patience. Each step of the dish, starting with the soaking of the beans, will take its good time. And do avoid the temptation to cut corners. While I usually appreciate the convenience of canned beans, for instance, this is one dish where you’ll want to use the dried kind, since the bean cooking liquid is an integral part of the dish.

Variations

At its simplest, farinata di cavolo nero is essentially boiled kale mixed with polenta. Giuliano Bugialli offers a slightly more elaborate version: you simmer cannellini beans until tender along with sage, garlic and pancetta. You then purée half the beans and put them back into the pot, reserving the other half for later. You add the kale and some tomato paste to the pot with the puréed beans and simmer until the kale is tender. Then the polenta goes in and simmers until it, too, is tender. You add the reserved beans back into the pot a few minutes before serving.

The Accademia Italiana della Cucina proposes a version, which they say is typical of Pontremoli, where you simmer the kale along with potatoes, to which you then add the polenta. You sauté a soffritto of mortadella, parsley and garlic in lard separately and add it to the pot a few minutes before serving. In some versions, you add broth to thin out the farinata, which you serve as a proper soup with slices of grilled bread. Other herbs like rosemary, thyme or basil and even peperoncino or fennel seeds feature in some recipes. Many recipes—and I suspect this is original—call for cotenna, or pork rind, rather than pancetta.

You can veganize your farinata di cavolo nero very simply. Just omit the pork products when you simmer the beans and make the soffritto. And I’d up the amount of aromatic vegetable in the soffritto for added flavor.

Farinata di cavolo nero

Prep Time8 hours
Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the beans:

  • 500 g dried beans soaked overnight
  • 12 cups of water
  • 1-2 garlic cloves peeled and slightly crushed
  • A sprig of fresh sage
  • A hunk of pancetta or prosciutto
  • Salt and pepper

For the soup:

  • 1 medium red onion chopped
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • 1 celery stalk chopped
  • A small piece of lardo or pancetta finely minced (optional)
  • 500 g 1 lb of cavolo nero (lacinato kale), stems removed and cut into strips
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

To thicken the soup:

  • 250 g 1/2 lb polenta (cornmeal), or more if you want a thicker dish

For the topping:

  • Olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Soak the beans overnight. The next day, rinse the beans well, then put them in a pot with at least 3 liters/12 cups of water. Add the garlic, sage, salt, and peppercorns, as well as the pancetta or prosciutto if using. Bring the beans to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer them until tender, about 45-60 minutes, depending on the beans.
  • Meanwhile, make your soffritto: heat the olive oil in a casserole, preferably terracotta or enameled cast iron. If using the lardo, mince it finely and sauté it gently in the olive oil until it has rendered most of its fat and slightly browned. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and let those sauté gently, too, until they are tender and the onion has turned translucent.
  • Add the kale, mixing it well with the soffritto so the kale is covered with the seasoned oil and aromatic vegetables, then let it cook down until the kale is wilted and well reduced.
  • When the beans are cooked, add them along with their cooking liquid to the casserole, topping up with water (or broth) if the vegetables are not covered. Simmer over a low flame until the kale is perfectly tender, about 30-45 minutes. Stir from time to time, and add water if needed to keep things loose. Along the way, you can crush some of the beans against the side of the casserole with a wooden spoon to thicken the soup.
  • When the kale is tender, add the polenta to the casserole in a thin stream, stirring all the time so it mixes will into the soup without lumping together. Continue simmering until the polenta is fully cooked, usually another 20 or 30 minutes. Add more liquid if the farinata starts to dry out. It should have the consistency of porridge.
  • Serve while still hot, with a good filo d'olio (drizzle of olive oil) and freshly ground black pepper.

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64 Comments on “Farinata di cavolo nero (Tuscan Kale and Polenta Soup)”

  1. Pingback: Polenta pasticciata con fagioli e verza (Baked Polenta with Beans and Cabbage) - Memorie di Angelina

  2. Pingback: Pesto di cavolo nero (Tuscan Kale Pesto) - Memorie di Angelina

  3. Thank you for reminding me about farinata. It has been unseasonably warm here in my part of California that I had forgotten about making this dish- what kind of Lucchese am i??
    Thanks Again,
    Rita Maria

  4. I have been using this particular recipe as a foundation since we found a corner gyp joint run by dour millennials in some vague corner of Florence. The mains were passable but OMG the soup. After research and practice, this recipe is the best I’ve found. We’ve been using it long enough, and I’ve been passing this recipe to friends so much that the local farm store knows to stock up on cavallo nero this time of year. (Mmmmkay, turkey and turkey stock make it outstanding. Happy Thanksgiving.) Thank you so much for posting it.

    1. Thanks so much for your comment, Merry! And for your kind words. And for spreading the word about the blog. I guess that means I was able to reconstruct the dish pretty well. Delighted to hear it and that you’re getting good use out of the recipe.

  5. Just got home from our honeymoon (yesterday!) and as soon as I tasted this soup in a small trattoria in Florence (maybe the same one!) I knew I needed to try to recreate it. This looks like exactly what I fell in love with and I can’t wait to try your recipe! Thank you for taking the time to test it, perfect it, and share it!

  6. Thank you Frank for bringing back some fond memories of my paternal Grandmother making this in the winter months. As others mentioned with a few variations, she used red bartoloto beans and always poured the leftover into flat casserole dishes, chilled and fried up the next day.
    Adele

  7. As everyone has said, this is quite delicious and perfect for a horrid January night in the north. I loved the play between the bitter greens and sweet corn. Thanks for this site and for your golden oldie on wine. I really enjoyed that site and missed it quite a bit when it disappeared. You used some charming themes to discuss wine and quite defanged it as a “fancy drink.”

  8. Dear Frank,
    What a dish, I well remember when mother or grand mother they maded in winter, was served quite often expecially in those few months of cold weather, as I was born in the Lucca region, toscany. We made it very thick and the left overs were placed on a pirofila so the day after we could slice it up and fry like we do with polenta. Mind you I still remeber the aroma early in the morning before going to school. Good memories to look back. Thanks a lot and God Bless.
    Vittorio

      1. As you well know, after the second world war, life was very complicated, we could only see distraction around, but we were a very united family and slowly slowly we got through. And as they say….love does not last…good food does. Abbracci. Vittorio

  9. Hi Frank
    Tank you for your successful effort to show the best of traditional Italian cooking.
    Did you never think to put all your recipe together and make a book?
    I am Italian living in Italy( Novara) and every time I am looking for a good recipe yours are the best.
    Just to tank you for what you do if there is something special you like from Italy, just let me now, I twill be a pleasure for me.

    Best regards
    Giovanni Martines

    1. Thanks so much, Giovanni, for your kind words! To answer your question, I suppose the idea of putting a book together is something I’ve had in the back of my mind for a long time. But the problem is, indeed, finding the time to do it right. I have a “day job” that’s pretty challenging so for the moment it’s all I can do to blog once in a while, and even that less than I used to. Perhaps one day, when I retire? We’ll just have to see…

      In the meanwhile, many thanks for your readership. It means a lot to hear from readers like yourself. 🙂

      Frank

  10. I found your blog shortly after my first trip to Italy and an introduction to true Italian food. Since that welcome discovery, I have made several of your recipes which sustain me until I can return to Italy.

    While in Italy, I had an opportunity to taste Laredo.. what a treat! I have not been able to find it anywhere in stores or online (found Spanish Lardo online with no idea how it would compare). Have you a source you would share?

    1. I’m afraid you’re right, Doona. I’ve checked all my usual online sources and none are carrying it at the moment. Two sites, Murray’s Cheese and igourmet.com, say they carry it but are out of stock. Hmm….

  11. Beans, kale and polenta! What a combo! A healthy, hearty meal, that’s so great for the winter. We both love legumes/pulses, so we’re definitely giving this a try, we really want to see how it’ll combine with the polenta. In the photos looks like a very thick fasolada (like a stew). Drooling over the keyboard:)

  12. Perfect timing – I just bought some cavolo nero. Looks delicious.

    Frank, I was just looking on line for some sale grosso – Amazon sellers want around $15 a kilo (!) for something that costs 75 cents in Italy. Have you found a source for this in the US, won’t require me to take out a second mortgage?
    Forse il loro sale è benedetto dal Papa – non si sa mai…

    1. Haha! Unfortunately I don’t really know any special sources for sale grosso from Italy. I usually buy “coarse salt” (as well as kosher salt) and call it a day. Like you, I can’t justify the prices they charge.

  13. Frank, a stick to your ribs one dish meal so typically Tuscan. I have made Giuliano’s version in the past but look forward to following your instructions. My Lucchese friends who have small restaurant in San Francisco prepare this and it is a welcome lunch or dinner on a wet day in the city.

  14. Finishing making the farinata while typing this. It smells so good. Such comfort.

    Just out of curiosity, do you know if this has this ever been made using chickpea flour?

    1. I have never heard of using chick pea flour, but…….
      Perhaps, you can set aside about a cup of the soup and mix it with the flour and see how that taste- a new culinary delight.
      Good luc

    2. Frank – I can’t tell you enough how good this is, and how much we enjoyed it. So hearty and comforting, like so many soups of the region. Thanks for bringing the recipe to us all!

  15. A very traditional Luccese dish. When I was in Lucca a few weeks ago they were already serving it.
    Now that I am back I have made it a few times and make it like I remember my mother making it.
    I use Bortoloto aka cranberry type beans and cook them a day before. I also puree half of the beans and keep half whole.
    I then prepare the fritto with the veggies and eventually combine the two. After I am satisfied with my soup I will add the polenta meal. Serve it up in individual bowls, let it come l and drizzle the oil on top.

  16. The “magic” of the soup was the atmosphere of Italy. Now, I’m sure your soup tastes just as good as the one in the trattoria. Although I detest cold weather, I appreciate the delicious dishes that come with it. This hearty soup is going on my to-do list. When I commented before I wanted to add Italian beans to it. And isn’t it fortunate that I ordered barlotti beans yesterday? Unfortunately, I can’t find them anywhere in our area. Will be enjoying this soup very soon.

  17. Frank, thanks again; another exceptional — and exceptionally authentic regional Italian dish. I’m already conjuring up a variant, since I’ve got a bag of ceci/fava flour… I’m thinking of using that, or maybe in combination with cornmeal, with an odd piece of guanciale I have sitting in the back of my fridge… what do you think?

  18. Lovely memories coming back, from my mom and grandma, expecially in the early 50s when money were a little bit short, this was a tipical winter dish, hot and fullfilling, but it was also served the day after when you fried in slices……Thaks Frank, in our Lucca province we called ´´ incavolata ´´.
    Vittorio Orsi

  19. Hi Frank! It’s me again, your new best friend. Wanted to let you know again how much I enjoy your website and my husband is also quite happy, being the beneficiary of the results. I made this tonight. I 100% can’t understand when people comment on recipes after they have basically torn them apart so they are unrecognizable, but I am about to do just that for the very first time. I didn’t have dried beans, only canned “Italian white”, no cavolo negro kale only the curly kale growing in my backyard but I went for it anyway. I followed your recipe exactly except for the type of kale, keeping out the canned beans until the very last few minutes and adding chicken broth in place of the bean cooking water. It was amazing and I can’t wait to try it with real beans which I know are always so much tastier. Thanks and talk soon! ?

    1. Thanks, Teresa. It doesn’t sound like you tore the recipe apart at all, but just made some sensible substitutions. Glad to hear you liked the result!

  20. I’ve prepared a pot of ribollita twice this fall and it looks like I’ll be preparing its cousin here in the near future. Love the idea of thickening the dish with polenta and will buy a prosciutto “heel” from my Italian market. All should do so well. 🙂

  21. Magnifico!

    I made it this week with only slight variation and decided it will be a staple in our casa for the cooler months. Frank, we are actually living in Napoli for a few years and I find your site most valuable in inspiring me to cook Neopolitan specialties. Motto grazie!

    1. Thanks great to hear! And I’m really so happy to hear that you’re finding the site useful to you. Let me know if you have any special requests for dishes to feature here. Enjoy Napoli!

  22. Oh my, this sounds and looks heavenly to me! I’ve never had this (probably because it’s a northern dish), but I’d love to try it. I’ll wait until my parents arrive though, as I know they’d love it too!

    Thanks, Frank! LOVE all your posts!

  23. Frank, how does this hold up if made ahead of time? Sounds like it might thicken up, but could it be reheated with the addition of some broth to thin it back down?

    1. It’s just as good, perhaps even better, when made ahead. Two ways to approach it: You can prepare it except for the final addition of polenta or you can make it completely ahead, but add additional water or broth so that’s is quite a bit looser than you would want to serve it—more soup than porridge. Then, when you’re ready to enjoy it, reheat it and let it thicken up to your liking before serving.

      I haven’t tried adding broth when reheating. I would guess that might not work, depending on how thick you made it to begin with. If it’s too thick, you’d wind up with a lumpy soup.

  24. What a perfect autumnal soup/stew/porridge Frank! I actually hoped that it would be thickened with chickpea flour (farinata/cecina is a favorite of mine) but I have some wonderful polenta to use, assuming I can find cavolo nero this morning at the market. Everything else I have on hand!

  25. splendid dish. I make something similar: “polenta incatenata” from the Garfagnana region: I make a thick winter minestrone, adding also diced pork rind + cooked for a very, very long time until it is super thick + then I pour this onto hot soft polenta + lots of grated pecorino.

    1. Sounds awesome, Stefano. I like the idea of “deconstructing” the dish with the minestrone over rather than mixed into the polenta…

  26. non ho mai avuto l’occasione di mangiarla nonostante la Toscana sia spesso meta dei miei viaggi, la ribollita diverse volte ma questa farinata no. Cerco il cavolo nero (non sarà facile) e provo a farla con la tua ricetta, grazie ! Buon weekend Frank

    1. Può stupire ma il cavolo nero è facile da reperire qui in America. Gli americani vanno pazzi per il “kale” sia quello toscano sia quello americano…

  27. As with many regional Italian dishes, there are local variations. The steps as you have presented them will certainly result in a “stick to your ribs” heart warming soup, perfect for a cold winter’s day.
    I studied with Giuliano and adore him, however he does lean to the complex with regard to some dishes.

    1. I’ve noticed that, too, about his recipes. The funny thing is, he is so emphatic about the simplicity of Tuscan cooking, and yet… Still, I admire his work a great deal. He should be much better known Stateside. Truth be told, I find his knowledge of Italian cooking superior to some more famous “celebrity” chefs.

  28. What a great soup, it looks delicious, filling , and full of flavors. I love polenta but I don’t remember having it in a soup. Thanks for sharing and giving us the history of these soups.

  29. Fantastic soup recipe! I love kale but usually just use it for salad. This hearty soup will definitely be on my to-make list as the temperature drops by days here in NYC. Thanks for sharing.

  30. I’ve had a similar soup (beans, greens, and polenta), but never made it myself. Love adding greens to soup! And love adding polenta, masa harina, or grits — they add such nice flavor, and of course thicken the soup too. Might be fun to try adding some red pepper flakes to the soffritto in Step 3 about a minute before adding the kale. Excellent recipe — thanks.

    1. Indeed, some recipes for this dish mention a bit of peperoncino. Personally, I don’t add it. It may just be me, but I tend to associate spicy with summer and tone down my dishes in the cold weather. Then again, that doesn’t stop me from chowing down on spicy non-Italian food in the fall and winter… Go figure.

  31. A delicious soup by any other name is still that delicious soup. This version sounds wonderfully hearty and bursting with flavor. I grew up on soups – economical and nutritious. I haven’t tried this version and I’m looking forward to doing so. I really appreciate your history and the stories behind the dishes. Have a great weekend.

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