This is hardest working soup you'll ever make

Culinary hero Alice Waters insists that a good minestrone is essential to every cook's repertoire.

This vegetable soup defies a single recipe, as no two cooks make the same minestrone. But all agree that it's a soup of fresh garden vegetables, dried beans and savory herbs; pasta is optional. This week, I'll focus on late harvest tomatoes, zucchini, fennel, carrots and chard. When the weather turns, the pot will simmer up butternut squash, kale, turnips, potatoes, cabbage and canned tomatoes. What's left of this luscious potage becomes ribollita.

A traditional Tuscan one-pot meal, ribollita is minestrone (or any vegetable soup) thickened with stale bread and topped with cheese. The word "ribollita" actually means "reboiled." The process concentrates the flavors as the soup and bread become a hearty meal.

The initial minestrone doesn't need to be a fussy or long-simmering project. Sautéing in a little pancetta with the vegetables adds flavor and body to the pot. Canned beans work beautifully, but cooked local dried beans are even better. And if you have a Parmesan rind, don't hesitate to throw that in for flavor and oomph. Serve it with a hunk of crusty bread and nice cheese that, with the leftover soup, become next night's ribollita.

Minestrone and ribollita are perfect dishes for this shoulder season as the weather turns chilly and we yearn for more comforting fare. Flexible and forgiving, they make great use of whatever is on hand, so feel free to vary them with the herbs, seasonings, vegetables, beans and cheeses you have on hand. And as you do, keep in mind another piece of Alice Waters advice: "A good soup maker must be a good taster."

Minestrone

Serves 6 to 8.

This makes a generous pot of soup that provides leftovers for another meal, ribollita. A few ounces of pancetta gets things going. You can use canned beans, but cooked dried beans are wonderful here, especially if they're local. From Beth Dooley.

• 2 to 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 oz. pancetta or prosciutto, finely chopped

• 2 shallots, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 1 small fennel bulb, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 10 oz. chard, chopped

• 1 medium zucchini, chopped

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme and or oregano

• 6 plum tomatoes, chopped (or canned, drained)

• 1/2 c. white wine

• 4 c. vegetable or chicken stock, plus more as needed

• 2 c. cooked cannellini or cranberry beans

• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish

• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Film a large deep soup pot with the oil and set over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, to render the fat. Remove the pancetta and set aside.

Add the shallots and garlic to the oil and cook, stirring until they become translucent. Then add the fennel, chard and zucchini and season with the salt and pepper. Toss in the chopped herbs and stir. Cover the pot and cook until the vegetables release their juices, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the lid and add in the tomatoes and stir until they soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the wine, stock, beans and rosemary. Increase the heat to a bubbly simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally and seasoning with more salt and pepper, about 30 minutes. Remove the herb sprigs and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Ribollita

Serves 2 to 4.

This recipe works beautifully with just about any hearty tomato-based soup. Feel free to augment the pot with more chopped vegetables. It also makes great use of any leftover cooked vegetables from previous meals. From Beth Dooley.

• 3 c. leftover minestrone, or any tomato-based soup

• 2 c. cubed bread, slightly stale

• 1/2 c. white wine or stock

• 1/4 c. shredded mozzarella

• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium deep pot or Dutch oven, stir together the minestrone, bread, wine and mozzarella. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over it all. Bake the ribollita in the oven until heated through and the Parmesan cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Beth Dooley is the author of "The Perennial Kitchen." Find her at bethdooleyskitchen.com.