How to Cook Cavolo Nero
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!
Servings 2 servings
Calories 35kcal
Ingredients
- 200 g cavolo nero kale see notes
- 2 tablespoon cold-pressed rapeseed oil or olive oil for stir fried version
- salt, pepper, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil to season
Instructions
- 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).
- Wash each leaf by gently rinsing it under running tap and patting dry or alternatively you can plunge de-stalked and sliced kale in a bowl with water, giving it gentle wash, draining and drying in a kitchen towel or a salad spinner.
- Next, you will need to remove most of the central stalk off from each of the leaves. There are two ways of doing it:- Hold the bottom of the stalk with one hand and push the leafy part up the stalk with your other hand. - Run a knife alongside the stalk and remove green, leafy part that way.
- Bunch up all the leafy greens of your cavolo nero together and slice thinly if stir frying or a bit thicker (almost ribbon like) if boiling or steaming.
Stir frying
- Heat up couple of tablespoons of oil in a non-stick frying pan and once hot add prepared Cavolo Nero.
- Stir fry for 5-8 minutes until tender but still holding its shape and having that slight bite to it.
- Once ready, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over some lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
- Serve as a side dish and enjoy!
Boiling
- Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Add cavolo nero and boil for 3-4 minutes max.
- Drain and rinse it under cold tap (be gentle) or cool it in a bowl with ice cold water. This will stop cooking process and preserve its nutritional benefits and colour.
- Pop it back in an empty pan over low heat just to briefly warm it up, season to taste with extra salt (if needed), pepper, lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve and enjoy!
Other
- If you're adding cavolo nero to stews, soups, pastas and risottos you have two options: - Pre-cook (boil or steam) it first and simply stir it in at the last minute (no further cooking required).- 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.
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 2 servings) and should be treated as a guideline only. Please note it only includes cavolo nero without any oil or seasoning.
- If you buy cavolo nero in the supermarket it will most likely be already without its stem and leaves will be separated. All you need to do in such case is to remove the central stalk from each leaf.
- Cavolo nero will keep in the fridge for over a week.
- Freezer friendly - for full instructions see: Freezing
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 348mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 9990IU | Vitamin C: 93mg | Calcium: 254mg | Iron: 2mg