Cavalo nero has several other names. Lacinato kale in Italian, or black cabbage, Tuscan kale, Italian kale or dinosaur kale. Whatever the name, it is rich in iron, Vitamin K, A and C and like its other cousins, has more calcium than milk.
Cavalo nero
The sauce is fairly simple and quick to make, using only a few ingredients. I used parsley pesto but basil pesto should work. Also the cavalo nero is cooked well for 20 or so minutes, as recommended by Italian chefs. You can use casarecce or strozzapretti shaped pasta.
There is something very moreish about a well-made quiche. The creaminess from the savoury custard provides a textural contrast with the crisp pastry base. I made this with store bought shortcrust pastry and it worked perfectly, saving time. I used a loose bottom 24 centimetre flan tray
Caramelized onion and spinach quiche
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PASTRY
400g block of frozen short crust pastry (store bought), thawed as per instructions on packet
I reckon you can make fritters with just about anything – a case in point are my pea fritters. They have edamame beans as well as kale – so I feel this is a complete meal. They are quick and easy that is take less than 45 minutes from start to finish.
Pea fritters with tomato chilli jam
INGREDIENTS
250g frozen peas, divided (thawed)
150g edamame beans, thawed
2-3 cloves garlic
1 red onion, finely chopped
50g kale, chopped
20 mint leaves
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
30g corn flour
30g rice flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for pan frying
METHOD
Put the edamame beans and 100 grams of the frozen peas in a food processor along with garlic, mint and kale. Add salt and pepper. Process for a minute or so until it is more than coarsely ground but not too smooth. Mix in the remaining peas and pulse for a few seconds so the peas are broken but still retain most of the shape. Remove to a bowl. Stir in the finely chopped onion and set aside.
Whisk the eggs with the corn flour, rice flour and baking powder. Fold in the pea mixture. Heat a pan and add a tablespoon of mixture to the pan in batches. Spoon a little oil on each fritter so it does not stick to the pan. Press down to flatten slightly and continue frying both sides on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until brown on both sides. Depending on size of your pan, you can do three to four fritters at a time. Repeat until all mixture has been fried. Makes 12 fritters. Serve with tomato relish.
