We are huge fans of cavolo nero in the Hayden household, and have taken to calling this popular method of blitzing the cooked leaves “monster sauce”. It’s a well-known method that I learned while working with Italian chefs to celebrate in-season cavolo nero and new season extra-virgin olive oil, keeping the sauce as simple as possible to let each of them sing. You can serve this sauce however you like: I often stir it through pasta for a quick dinner, but when I have more time, I stir it through a white risotto. Finish with an additional drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil: heaven.Cavolo nero risottoBoiling the garlic alongside the cavolo nero takes the edge off it, so the resulting puree is nowhere near as punchy as a standard pesto.Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4200g cavolo nero, leaves stripped off the stalks3 garlic cloves, peeled1 litre vegetable stock (I use the cavolo nero cooking water)1 large knob butter1 onion, peeled and finely chopped2 celery sticks, trimmed and finely chopped
225g risotto rice, such as arborio100ml dry white wine
Salt and black pepper
