Cavolo Nero Kale with Beurre Noir

This cavolo nero recipe with browned garlic butter and lemon comes together in just 5 minutes of cooking! This has to be the fastest vegetable side dish ever.

Simply cooked, then covered with a delicious dressing, it's perfect with roast or grilled meats.

Healthy, delicious, crunchy and, it even holds its shape after cooking! What could be better?

Bon appétit!   

Have you tried this cabbage? Luckily for me it is grown primarily in rural Lincolnshire where I live so it's easily found in most supermarkets and farm shops.

It's also known by so many other names, depending on where you live, such as:

• Tuscan kale
• Italian cabbage
• black cabbage
• dinosaur kale
• lacinato kale
• flat back kale
• palm tree kale
• black Tuscan palm

It has a deep greenish black colour and heavily gnarled leaves, which don't lose their shape after cooking. Much more appealing than a pile of green sludge on a plate!

More importantly, it is really tasty, keeps its crunch and can be used in so many other dishes too.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you will love this dish
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking Time
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• FAQs
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you will love this dish

• Quick to cook and prepare.
• Delicious nutty taste.
• Keeps its shape after cooking.

💙 Save this recipe for later

Did you know? When you see the 💙 on the right hand side you can bookmark this page, to save it for later or share it too.

Health benefits

This cabbage is a good source of lutein, which can help with eye health It is also a source of vitamins K, which plays a role in maintaining normal bones, and A and C, which help the immune system to function normally.

It's also a significant source of the B vitamins like folic acid, which is important during pregnancy.

It is also a source of fibre and calcium, as well as containing manganese, copper, iron and many other elements.

🥘 Ingredients

• Cavolo nero kale - this normally comes as loose leaves or pre cut in a bag. Having tried both, I would recommend buying loose leaves and preparing it yourself. The stalk is very tough and often it is not removed in pre cut bags.
• Garlic - fresh garlic is a must in this recipe.
• Lemon - fresh lemon juice and the zest for colour and flavour.
• Butter
• Seasoning - if your butter is salted just use some freshly ground black pepper and taste before adding salt.

The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.

🍽 Equipment

• large saucepan with a lid
• sharp knife
• chopping board

🔪 Instructions

Wash the cabbage well.

Use a vegetable knife to cut the leaves away from the stalk.

💭 Top tip

• Keep the stalks in a bag in the freezer for when you next make vegetable stock.

Cut the lengths into rough 2 cm or 1 inch pieces.

⏲️ Cooking Time

In a large saucepan, over a medium heat, add 2 cm or 1 inch of boiling water and add the kale.

Put the lid on the pan and allow the kale to steam for about 5 minutes.

While the kale is cooking make the browned butter or beurre noisette.

Melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Once it has melted, continue to heat it until it becomes foamy.

At this point watch the butter closely as the foam subsides. Small brown specks should appear and the butter should have a nutty aroma.

Tip the crushed garlic into the butter and then immediately pour the butter mixture into a bowl to stop it from cooking further. The residual heat will soften the garlic and release the flavour.

Now add the lemon juice to the butter to make the beurre noir.

💭 Top tip

• If you see black specks in the butter then it has become burnt and is unusable as it will have a bitter taste. Start again with a new batch of butter.

When the kale is cooked drain over a colander and return to the saucepan.

Immediately pour over the beurre noir and stir through.

Serve with the lemon zest sprinkled on top.

🥗 Perfect with

• roast meats - try it with Tuscan Roast Pork for an Italian meal, Cannon of Lamb or how about Picanha Beef?
• pies - a rich pie needs a simple side dish. Try Venison Sausage Plait, Chicken and Leek Pie or Steak and Kidney Pie.

🥙 Substitutions

• cavolo nero - swap with smooth or curly kale or try savoy cabbage.
• vegan - instead of using butter heat olive oil in a pan and add the garlic for 1 minute before adding the lemon juice and pouring over the cabbage.

📖 Variations

• Spicy - instead of adding the lemon juice add chilli pepper flakes or chopped red chillies with the garlic.
• Asian - add a centimetre of grated ginger with the garlic and omit the lemon juice.

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - cool, cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat - heat in the microwave or reheat in a frying pan with some butter.

I have not tried freezing this dish.

🍱 Prepare in Advance

• This recipe is so quick so I would recommend cutting the cabbage in advance if you need to and just cooking what you need.

FAQs

Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais

More vegetable dishes

• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Roasted Winter Vegetables
• Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks
• Easy Roast Potatoes
• Confit Potatoes
• Crispy Potatoes Pavé
• Yorkshire Pudding
• Roast Savoy Cabbage
• Celeriac Purée
• Chateau Potatoes
• Honey Roast Carrots
• Cavolo Nero Kale
• Celeriac Dauphinoise

📋 Recipe

More vegetable dishes

🍲 Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.

However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.

However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.