Cavolo Nero – with chilli!

I’m eating my way through a garden of cavolo nero. Not because I feel I have to, but because I love it. It is fast to cook, bouncy and structural in the mouth, and soooooooo good for you that I feel good eating it. My favourite way is cavolo nero with chilli. I cook it briefly in boiling lightly salted water – for about 5 minutes – drain it well then toss it with loads of thinly sliced garlic and chilli cooked briefly first in a good slosh of extra virgin olive oil. For a decent bunch of cavolo nero, I use 2-3 cloves of peeled garlic, 1 hot red chilli and approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sometimes I use lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil, but I don’t vary the mix that much. I just love the pungency of garlic with these strong resilient leaves, the added heat of chilli which stops me in my tracks (like, ‘wow, that is damned hot, too hot this time’, then eat the lot anyway!) and all smoothed over with a fruity coating of oil. I could, and do sometimes, eat a big bowl of it. Other nights I add a side of roasted cauliflower.

And some nights I go the whole hog and have added pan-fried chicken thighs (yes, I ate ALL that food!).

Read everything you need to know about growing or buying cavolo nero, how to store it, prepare it and cook it. And what it goes with, including nutmeg, sage, parmesan, anchovies, bacon and more. Cavolo Nero