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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Cavolo Nero

    Published: Jun 30, 2010 · Updated: Oct 15, 2022 by Peter G · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    When I first heard the name Cavolo Nero I honestly thought somebody was talking about an Italian opera singer.

    Well, I was partly right.

    a bunch of cavolo nero (black kale) on a wooden table

    Cavolo Nero is of Italian origin and mostly found in the Tuscany region.  It has dark green leaves that are almost black in colour and each leaf has a tough central stalk.  It was those stalks that caused me a lot issues when cooking it  but we'll get to that soon!

    I quite like its almost bitter flavour too.  I find it strangely addictive.

    More importantly, it's full of antioxidant goodness.

    It's been awhile since I've cooked some "glorious greens" here on the blog.

    braised cavolo nero on a green plate

    My approach to cooking the Cavolo Nero was going to be simple.  No complications whatsoever.

    I wanted to braise the Cavolo Nero in some olive oil with a little water in addition to adding some dried chili flakes, garlic and anchovies.  It's a simple, yet tasty combination of ingredients that I find compliments the flavour of dark green vegetables. (And I quite like that steamy, garlic flavour cooking through everything).

    a bunch of cavolo nero leaves with garlic and olive oil on a wooden board on top of a wooden table

    I just didn't expect the stalks to be so stubborn!

    It took nearly one hour to braise the Cavolo Nero!  One hour! Here I was expecting a quick, tasty side dish to some lamb.

    Lesson learnt.

    Next time I'll cut the stalks out and just sauté the leaves.

    braised cavolo nero in a cast iron pan
    braised cavolo nero on a green plate

    Cavolo Nero Recipe

    Author: Peter G
    Braised cavolo nero (black kale)
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 12 mins
    Total Time 22 mins
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 2 serves

    Ingredients
      

    • 250 g Cavolo Nero , or black kale leaves stalks removed
    • ¼ cup olive oil , plus extra
    • 1 pinch dried chili flakes , or 1 whole chilli finely sliced
    • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    • 3 anchovies, qood qulaity canned
    • ½ cup water, optional
    • salt and pepper to taste
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    Instructions
     

    • Place the Cavolo Nero leaves in a pot of boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes and drain. Squeeze out all the excess water.
    • In a non stick or cast iron pan heat up some virgin olive oil, turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, chili flakes and anchovies.
    • Give everything a good stir and let it cook for a few minutes.
    • Add the “just blanched” Cavolo Nero leaves and stir everything again and cook for a further 5 minutes until tender and glossy.
    • Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 serve | Calories: 312 kcal | Carbohydrates: 12 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 28 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g

    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

    © Souvlaki For the Soul

    Made this recipe?Let me know how you went and tag @souvlakiman on Instagram!

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