Cavolo nero
 River
Café Two Easy
Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers
In their second collection of pared-to-its-essence Italian cooking, Gray and
Rogers continue to show the style that made them den mothers to a whole new generation
of British culinary stars (Oliver, Fearnley-Whittingstall, O'Donoghue et al).
Rice with chestnuts, broccoli with red wine, and rhubarb with orange are typical
of the simple yet vibrant recipes. Colour photos. Hardcover, 288 pp, $49.95.
In our ongoing quest to increase your repertoire of recipes we thought we would include a "new" ingredient, a bit about it and an accompanying recipe. Studies have shown we tend to buy the same seventeen ingredients each week! By adding one new ingredient, or recipe you can bring a whole new look and dialogue to the dinner table.
This week's ingredient is cavolo nero. Literally Italian for black cabbage - headless, so similar to kale. Used in Tuscan cooking, it will withstand long cooking, a pleasant tangy, almost bitter flavour, with a sweet after taste.
Cavolo nero, fennel seed
1 kg Cavolo nero
3 Garlic cloves
1 tsp. Fennel seeds
2 Dried chillies
Extra virgin olive oil
Strip the leaves of the cavolo off the center stem, wash. Peel the garlic and finely slice 2 of the garlic cloves. Crush the fennel seeds, and crumble the chillies.
Cook the cavolo in boiling salted water with the whole garlic clove until tender, about 5 minutes, then drain. Roughly chop it, including the garlic.
Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a thick-bottomed saucepan, and add the sliced garlic, chilli and fennel seeds. Fry until brown, about 2 minutes. Add the cavolo, season, and stir together briefly.
Note from Rogers and Gray on cavolo nero:
"When buying cavolo nero look for dark green leaves which are tightly crinkled and stiff. The correct flavour develops after the plants have had a few weeks of frost. Be sure to boil the cavolo until it is very tender. Drain gently, retaining some of the water in the leaves so that it is juicy rather than fried with the olive oil."
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