We find Cavolo Nero everywhere at the moment, a great source of good greens for the Winter. Very sadly, it is often served under-cooked, hard and chewy – not nice!
In this recipe, we slowly cook it to release its naturally delicious flavour and comforting softness.
It works well on its own as a snack, as a side dish, or as a delicious topping to a slice of toasted sourdough bread, rubbed with garlic!
Ingredients
- 800 grams – 1 kg. Cavolo Nero
- 1- 2 medium onions
- 3 – 4 garlic cloves
- Ghee or Sesame oil
- Salt
- Tamari (wheat free soya sauce)
- 1 tablespoon of Moscatel vinegar (or rice vinegar)
Preparation
- Cut the onion into fine slices, in the shape of half-moons ; cutting vertically rather horizontally across the onion. Place in a bowl to one side.
- Remove the green germ of the Garlic, slice finely. Place to one side.
- Strip the Kale leaves from the stalks. Discard the stalks. Cut the leaves into medium chunks.
- Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and blanch the leaves for 1 minute. Drain well.
- Using a thick bottom skillet or saucepan, drizzle a small amount of sesame oil or ghee, on the bottom of the pan.
- Arrange the onion slices, kale leaves and garlic in successive layers, adding a very small drizzle of oil and salt in between each layer.
- Cover the pot with a lid and place on a very low flame, using a flame diffuser if necessary.
- Cook for at least 40 minutes, or until the leaves are well wilted and cooked through
- In the middle of the cooking, drizzle a small amount of Tamari.
- Once the Kale is ready, add the vinegar and turn of the flame. Serve immediately, with slightly toasted sesame seeds for example. Enjoy!
Notes:
This Kale looks green when raw but will turn very dark green even black once it is cooked – don’t worry.
It should not be under-cooked; it is one of those vegetables which needs long cooking to bring out its full flavor.
This recipe is created by chef Jean Torné, who’ll soon be teaching our Wholefoods Essentials course. To find out more about this 6 week course with Jean, click here.