Cavolo Nero is a cousin of kale and is used in many traditional Italian dishes from soups to pasta, and as a side dish.
In Italian Cavolo Nero translates to ‘black cabbage’, and has a lovely dark green colour. It tastes a lot like spinach crossed with cabbage but has a nutty after taste.
Unlike some leafy vegetables, you can eat both the leaves and stems, although the stems require a little longer to cook.
The best way to cook Cavolo Nero is to:
- Remove the leaves from the stems and wash in cold water.
- Slice stems very fine, and then sauté in a large wide shallow pot with olive oil, garlic and salt.
- Add a little water, place the lid on and turn down to low for 10 minutes.
- Add the leaves and put the lid back on for a further 5 minutes.
- Drain off excess liquid and serve with lemon wedges.
We are currently serving this delicious vegetable with our gnocchi dish, as well as making it into a fritter with chickpeas for our spatchcock.
