Georgina Hayden’s recipe for cavolo nero risotto
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.Boiling 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 75g pecorino, or parmesan2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to finishPut the cavolo nero leaves and garlic in a large saucepan of water, bring to a boil, then cook for five minutes,Using a slotted spoon, lift the leaves and garlic into the jug of a blender, add 100ml of the cooking liquid and set aside,Add boiling water to the liquid left in the pan, to make it up to a litre, and leave it on a low heat,Meanwhile, put a second large pan or casserole on a medium heat, add the butter, chopped onion and celery, and saute for five minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften,Add the rice, stir for a minute or two, until it turns translucent, then add the wine and stir until it has all evaporated.
Season the rice generously.Start adding the hot stock to the rice a ladleful at a time, stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed before adding the next ladleful.The rice will take 22-25 minutes to cook, by which time it should be oozy but still have a slight bite.When the rice is almost done, chop 40g of the cheese, add it to the contents of the blender jug, then pour in the extra-virgin olive oil.Season well, then blitz smooth.
When the rice is ready, stir in the green puree, cook, stirring, for a further two to three minutes, then take off the heat, cover and leave to rest for two minutes,Serve with the remaining pecorino grated over the top and a final drizzle of good oil,
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