I love bitter greens like collard, mustard greens, beet greens, and kale. This preparation for dinosaur kale (also known as black kale or cavolo nero) was introduced to me by my friend Cindy, which she in turn first enjoyed at AOC and Lucques, two exceptional restaurants by chef Suzanne Goin in Los Angeles.
This recipe is adapted from Ms. Goin and has been further adapted by my friend. It is amazing on its own or as a side. I know this is a blog about cooking for one, but you can’t go wrong doubling this recipe and keeping some extra kale on hand. You can do this for collard greens as well.
Braised Cavolo Nero
Total time: About 1 hour
Servings: 3 to 5 people
4 bunches dinosaur kale, stemmed and cleaned
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced lengthwise (or substitute two leeks)
2-3 dried chile de árbol
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided, more as needed
Blanch the kale in a large pot of salted, boiling water just until softened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the kale and immediately place it in a bowl of ice water to cool. (This is essential to stopping the cooking process and maintaining the greenness of the kale.) Drain again and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan heated over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onions, and chile de árbol. Gently sautée for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and season with 1/4 TSP salt. Continue to cook until the onions are transparent and just beginning to color, an additional 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir the kale into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 TSP salt. As it cooks, the kale will turn a deep dark green, almost black color, and the texture will go from soft to almost a little crisp from caramelizing on the bottom of the pan. This is good and will enhance the flavor.
When all the water has evaporated, spread kale on a baking sheet and put in oven. Let it bake until the edges turn crispy. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Kale on cookie sheet, ready for final oven treatment
NOTE: I bought 12 huge bunches last Thanksgiving — mix of black and Russian kale. It cooked down to almost nothing, but served about 12 people.
