Inspired by my recent trip, I decided to try my hand at ribbolita, the Tuscan bread soup. I riffed off the recipe from the Silver Spoon, based on what I had available. Recipes for this dish vary widely on ingredients as well as the time required to cook the bread. The Silver Spoon recommended making the soup without the bread, then adding the bread and cooking in the oven for 15 minutes.
This is a hearty, tasty soup. So long as you have the chicken stock available, it isn't hard to make, either. The combination of beans, greens, and mirepoix make for a soup that is both hearty and earthy. The bread adds a subtle texture to the soup.
Luella's is a nouvelle BBQ outfit on the north side of Asheville. It is nestled among the trees in a lovely neighborhood. The restaurant has lots of windows for inside seating and plenty of outside seating. Service was courteous and amazingly fast. This is a combination plate with pork and brisket. Both were very moist and tender. For the pork, I tried both the mild and hot vinegar sauces. To my surprise, I preferred the milder one because it didn't assert itself too much. I enjoyed the spicy tomato sauce for my brisket. The hushpuppies were very good. The fried okra was fresh out of the fryer and excellent. The slaw was of the vinegary variety, which I usually enjoy, but this version is heavy on the white stuff and didn't have quite enough variety in tastes for me.


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