Lovely black kale freshly harvested on our Farm. * Wash before use.

Class I

Black kale, or cavelo nero, is a dark leafy green and is one of our favourite crops. Like all kale it's extremely healthy, high in dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and brain-boosting phytonutrients.  The leaves are tender and delicious and don't take long to cook. You can even massage them with seasoning and a little good oil and eat them raw.  The stems are thick and a bit tougher that the leaves but please don't waste them. Simply separate the leaves from the stems, the stems can then be thinly sliced and added to the pan to cook before you add the leaves, all they need is a little longer time on the heat. There are countless ways to cook kale but here are a few of our favourites.

Recipe Ideas:

- Green smoothies. Blend a large handful of rinsed kale with a banana, 4 ice cubes, a tbsp of tahini, a couple of pitted dates and enough milk of your choice to bring it together. We love almond milk in this recipe. 

- Sautéing or steam-frying kale is our favourite way to cook it. Heat up a little olive oil in a large pan/wok. Add the thinly sliced kale stems and some slices of garlic. Stir fry for a couple of minutes until they start to soften. Then add the chopped leaves, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a small splash of water. Steam fry to wilt the leaves for another minute or two then serve as a side, stir through mashed potato or cooked pasta, cool and add to salads...

- Ribollita is a Tuscan white bean soup/stew and it is absolutely delicious. There are many variations but the main humble ingredients are base veg (a sofrito of onion, carrot and celery sautéed in olive oil) then kale, cannellini beans, and sometimes tomatoes are simmered together with stock and Italian herbs and seasoning. The soup is often thicken with stale bread.