Prep: 20 min
Cook: 50 min

Serves 4

If you can’t find cavolo nero (black cabbage), go for curly kale, Swiss chard, ruby chard or Savoy cabbage.

600g cavolo nero
3 tbsp olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 leek, finely sliced
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 tsp tomato purée
400g potatoes, finely diced
2 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
1.5 litres water or stock 400g tinned white beans, rinsed
sea salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp extra virgin
Olive oil

METHOD

Discard the large stems of the cavolo nero, and roughly shred the leaves. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the celery, leek, and carrot. Fry over gentle heat for 10 minutes. Add the cavolo nero, potatoes, tomato purée, bay leaves and thyme. Add the water or stock and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Mash one third of the beans to a paste, then add to the soup with the rest of the beans, stirring well. Add sea salt and pepper to taste, scatter with parsley and serve in warm bowls, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil.

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