Tuscan Recipes - Zuppa Toscana a delicious traditional Tuscany soup from Italy

Zuppa Toscana (Tuscany Soup)

250 gr   Spelt Meal
30   gr   Pancetta (cured pork belly)
150 gr   Dried Cannellini 
150 gr   Dried Borlotti Beans 
100 gr   Dried Chick peas
3  Garlic Cloves
2  Rosemary twigs
2  Table spoons of couble concentrate tomato puree
6  Slices of Tuscan Bread
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
Salt and Black pepper

Preperation time 2 hour 30 mins.

Serves: 6 people

Soak the ingredients in cold water for one night, and in separate bowls the chickpeas, borlotti beans and cannellini beans. Wash the "Spelt meal"then keep it in cold water, for 8 hours. Drain and wash it thouroughly. After the soaking time, drain and wash the pulses. Then pour them into a large pot, cover it with 3,5 litres of water, bring slowly to boil and cook with the lid on for approx. 2 hours on a low flame. Add salt. At the end of the cooking time,  drain the pulses and and save 1 litre of the cooking water. Finely chop the pancetta and the rosmary and then put it in a casserole after having melted 6 tbl.spoons of oil with a squashed clove of garlic. Add in the tomato concentrate melted in a cup of hot water and stir. Add the cooking water from the pulses kept aside and when it starts to boil up, add in the "spelt meal". Let it cook at low flame for about 1/2 hour circa. Then add salt to taste. At the end of the cooking time mix the cooked pulses and let them soak up the flavours for a few minutes. Arrange at the bottom of a soup dish the bread slices and pour the soup over the top. Season with a sprinckle of pure oil, a pinch of ground black pepper as desired and serve.