Ribollita

Soak the beans overnight; change the water, salt it and cook gently with half an onion (skin on), a halved head of garlic, two sprigs of rosemary, bay leaves and cracked pepper. Turn off and leave on the stove; remove the aromatics.

Chop the aromatics: smash the garlic, cut the fennel and onion to a rough medium dice, split then chop the carrot, slice the celery.

Heat the Dutch oven dry over medium-high; add a lot of olive oil to the hot pot and add the vegetables.

Cook the vegetables down on fairly high heat, stirring periodically and more often as the water is driven off, until soft and coloured; salt to draw out moisture.

Strip the rosemary leaves; rough chop a pinch of fennel seed; measure a big pinch of red pepper flakes.

When the vegetables have lost about a third of their volume, add the rosemary, fennel seed and red pepper flakes with a splash more olive oil so they fry.

Cook at least 15 minutes, turning up the heat and stirring constantly for browning.

Turn down to medium, deglaze with the liquid from the can of tomatoes (about half a cup) and cook out again.

Crush the tomatoes by hand into the pot.

Add about two thirds of the beans and their liquid, topping up with water if needed; add the parm rinds; taste for salt.

Bring to a simmer, add the kale, season again, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.

Slice the stale bread, oil it and toast it in the toaster; rub with a raw garlic clove.

Turn off the heat; ladle the solids into a bowl, set the toast on top, pour more liquid over so the bread soaks it up.

Finish with grated parm and a nicer finishing olive oil.