How to make cavolo nero with miso butter

Cavolo nero, or black cabbage, is an accommodating vegetable to have around. It’s ideal for a quick stir fry, a longer braise or tossed into a vegetable soup.

It’s a staple in Italian cooking (Anna del Conte has a recipe for cavolo nero and potatoes sauteed with chilli and garlic from her book Vegetables all’Italiana that I would happily eat by the bowlful).

I’ve paired cavolo nero with white miso which is lush, slightly sweet and packed full of protein. Mirin adds another hint of sweetness which helps to balance out the bitterness of the greens while a dash of vinegar cuts through creaminess of the miso.

Best of all, it’s a dish you can make, start to finish, in 10 minutes, max.

Note: If you don’t have black sesame seeds, use white instead.

Serves 4 as a side dish

350g cavolo nero
30g butter, softened
1 tbsp mirin
2-3 tbsp white miso
1 tsp rice or white wine vinegar
1 tsp each black & white sesame seeds
Coarsely shredded parmesan cheese, optional 
Chilli pepper flakes, optional 

Tear the cavolo nero away from the stalk in strips. Wash well and spin a few times in a lettuce spinner to remove much but not all of the water. Divide the butter in half and mix one half of it with two tablespoons of the white miso.

Heat a deep sided frying pan with lid. When hot, add the mirin and the plain butter. Immediately add in the cavolo nero and place the lid on. Cook at high heat for a minute or two, until the greens just start to wilt.

Remove the lid and add the butter-miso mixture and stir to coat the leaves. Add the vinegar and taste, adding another tablespoon of miso if you like. (The miso is salty so you probably won’t need to add any additional salt.)

Place the greens on a platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the parmesan and chilli pepper, if using. Serve hot.

@juliapleonard