RIBOLLITA

SERVES 6 PREP 25 MINS COOK 8 ¼ HOURS

1kg ham hock 8 cups water 1 onion, finely chopped 2 celery stalks, trimmed, thinly sliced 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, crushed 400g can diced tomatoes 2 sprigs rosemary ½ tsp dried chilli flakes 375g cavolo nero, coarsely shredded 400g can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed ½ cup coarsely chopped basil 250g sourdough bread, crusts removed ½ cup flaked parmesan

1 Combine ham hock, water, onion, celery, carrot, fennel, garlic, tomato, rosemary and chilli in a 4.5-litre (18-cup) slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low 8 hours.

2 Remove hock from cooker. Add cavolo nero and beans to soup. Cook, covered, on high 20 mins until cavolo nero is tender.

3 Meanwhile, when ham hock is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bone and shred coarsely. Discard skin, fat and bone. Add meat and basil to soup. Season to taste.

4 Break chunks of bread into 6 serving bowls. Top with soup and parmesan.