Cavolo nero

Chou noir de Toscane

What it is

Tuscans will tell you ribollita cannot be made before the first frost, and they are not being romantic — the cold converts starch to sugar and the bitterness drops. The soup is named for being reboiled: it is meant to be a day old.

In the kitchen

Strip the leaf from the stem by pulling it backwards down the rib. The stem is too fibrous to soften in any reasonable time.

Goes with

Garlic Olive oil White beans T65 bread flour Parmesan Chili pepper Rosemary Tomato

Same species

Baek-kimchi Broccoli Brussels sprout Cabbage Cauliflower Chinese broccoli

Also used with

Black chickpea Zolfino bean Borlotti bean Cannellini bean

In season alongside

Bay bolete Bleu de Termignon Escarole Kale Saffron milk cap Lampascione

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