How To Cook Cavolo Nero (2024)

In this guide I will show you how to prepare and cook cavolo nero kale so that you can best enjoy its lovely flavour. You will find lots of helpful tips and some delicious cavolo nero recipes too!

Cavolo nero must be my favourite type of kale by far and it's due to its versatility as well as flavour.

If you are normally a bit weary of kale due to its bitter flavour, you should give cavolo nero a go, as its very slight bitterness is mellowed by almost sweet aftertaste which goes hand in hand with so many flavour enhancers like garlic, chillies and more!

🥬 What is cavolo nero?

Cavolo nero is a member of brassica or cabbage family that originates from Tuscany in Italy.

It is very nutritionally dense and a great source of many vitamins as well as iron.

Cavolo nero is known by many different names including black kale, Tuscan kale, lacinato kale, black cabbage and even dinosaur kale, the latter due to texture of its leaves.

Black kale is an extremely hardy and easy to grow vegetable and because of that it enjoys quite a long season here in the UK where you can buy it between June and March.

🔪 How to prepare it

To prepare cavolo nero for cooking, first you need to take the leaves off the stem they grow on (although if you buy it in the supermarket you will most likely get loose leaves already off the stem).

Next comes washing and removing central stalk from each of the leaves.

I prefer washing it once I have taken the leaves off their stalks and sliced ready for cooking, but you can also rinse entire leaves under running tap first.

There are two ways you can take cavolo nero off their stalks:

1. Hold the bottom of the stalk with one hand and push the leafy part up the stalk with your other hand. It comes off really nice and easy and is extremely satisfying.

2. Run a knife alongside the stalk and remove green, leafy part that way.

You don't necessarily need to get rid of the entire central stalk but I would definitely always cut off the thickest and woodiest part as it takes longer to cook and isn't particularly pleasant to eat.

Don't throw them out or put straight into compost just yet, read on to find out what you can do with your stalk discards.

Once you've got your greens ready, simply slice them as you see fit.

You can also tear the leaves into pieces with your fingers instead.

Personally, I like to bunch the leaves together and slice them nice and thin if I'm stir frying or sautéing them or slightly thicker for steaming, boiling or adding to stews etc.

🧑‍🍳 How to cook it

There are many different ways you can cook cavolo nero.

Due to great texture of its leaves it's perfect for boiling, steaming, stir frying, sautéing, braising, you name it!

Similar to its cousin - curly kale, it can be also enjoyed raw in salads.

Cavolo nero works great as an accompaniment in its own right served alongside main dishes, but can also be used as a vibrant and nutritious touch of greenery in soups, stews, pastas and risottos.

In Italian cuisine cavolo nero is often used in hearty soups like ribollita and minestrone.

⏲️ How long to cook cavolo nero?

Boiling

I would recommend boiling cavolo nero for 3-4 minutes max.

Once the time is up, either quickly run it under the cold tap (be gentle there) or plunge it in a bowl with ice cold water.

This way you stop the cooking process and preserve gorgeous green colour.

Stir-frying

If you're stir frying it, it will take anything between 5-10 minutes depending on your preference.

If in doubt, simply give it a little taste to check whether it's tender enough for you.

In my opinion, it's always better to under rather than over cook it.

Other

If you're adding cavolo nero to stews, soups, pastas and risottos you have two options:

1. Pre-cook (boil or steam) it first and simply stir it in at the last minute (no further cooking required).
2. Add it raw towards the end of cooking, for the last 5-8 minutes to let it cook in the soup, stew or in residual heat of the dish you're adding it to.

Cavolo nero stalks and what to do with them

I never get rid of the stalks as they come really useful in my kitchen in variety of ways:

• Chopped finely and used together with onion, carrot and celery as a flavour base (soffritto) in soups, stews, sauces and more.
• Added to smoothies for that healthy, green boost.
• Bulking out and adding flavour to homemade pesto.

🥡 Storing

Uncooked cavolo nero will store in the fridge for good week if not longer but of course the fresher the better so I would aim to eat it within a week.

You can also get ahead and prep, wash and cut it ready to go when you need it.

Store it in a plastic bag or your favourite container covered loosely with damp paper towel and use it within 3-4 days.

❄️ Freezing

To freeze cavolo nero simply prepare it as per - How to prepare cavolo nero.

Once ready, blanch your greens for 1-2 minutes in boiling water, drain and transfer into bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process, preserve nutrients and colour.

Dry well in a salad spinner or by patting it dry in a clean tea towel and transfer it onto baking sheet that will fit in your freezer.

Put it in the freezer for 1-2 hours and once frozen transfer into freezer bag for easy storage.

Freezing it this way will prevent it from clumping together and you will be able to remove as much or as little of the kale to add it to stews and smoothies handful at a time.

Keep in the freezer and use within 6-8 months.

💭 Top tips

• Cavolo nero stalks are best to be removed before cooking your greens as they take longer than leafy part.
• Remove most of the central stalk from each leaf but don't throw it away just yet (see: What do you do with cavolo nero stalks?)
• Plunging boiled or blanched kale in ice cold water for couple of minutes will stop the cooking process and preserve nutrients as well as lovely green colour.
• Don't over cook it! Cavolo nero tastes its best with slight bite to it.
• It can be prepared ahead of time. It will keep prepped, washed, sliced and ready to go in your fridge for up to 4 days.
• Cavolo nero can be used in the same way as your standard curly kale.

What goes well with cavolo nero

My favourite flavour enhancers for cavolo nero are the following:

• Lemon (both zest and juice)
• Chilli (fresh or flakes)
• Ginger
• Galirc
• Capers
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Good quality salt (sea salt or pink Himalayan salt) - fine or coarse
• Freshly ground pepper

🍴Serving suggestions

Cavolo nero is a fantastic ingredient in its own right and it makes nutritious, simple side dish either boiled, steamed or stir-fried with a touch of salt, pepper, lemon juice and good quality olive oil.

Try it in my Cavolo Nero with Chilli, Garlic and Crispy Capers recipe.

Use it everywhere you would your regular curly kale like in this kale crisps recipe.

Stir it through or serve as a side with lentil ragu or vegan butternut squash mac and cheese.

Chop it finely and add to vegan vegetable fritters, potato cakes or use instead of cabbage in bubble and squeak.

Try it raw as a base for a salad, sprinkled with salt and massaged with good quality extra virgin olive oil (to tenderise the leaves).

Add it raw and finely shredded to your favourite coleslaw or throw it into your beetroot smoothie for that extra boost of green goodness.

And of course you can try my delicious .

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