Braised Cavolo Nero

Serves 4

1 bunch cavolo nero (about 250g)

100ml extra virgin olive oil or to taste

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

Wash cavolo nero, strip out the tough stems and chop roughly. Blanch in boiling water until just tender, drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a dry saucepan over low-medium heat and add the garlic and anchovy and fry gently. Add the cavolo nero and braise for a few minutes until the cavolo nero is tender, has heated through and picked up the flavoured oil.

Goes well with robust meat dishes or simply as a bruschetta on toasted sour dough bread that has been rubbed with garlic and drizzled with a little olive oil.

This method of cooking is widely used in Italy for cooking green leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard, cima di rapa (rapini) in particular. The anchovy is often replaced by a little dried chilli.

This recipe is based on one of Maggie Beer's from her book Maggie's Harvest, Lantern/Penguin Books