Recipe of the week: bruschetta con cavolo nero

This is an incredibly easy dish that can be prepared in the 10 minutes or so it takes to toast the bread, but makes a great fall combination.  This time of year they are finishing up the olive harvest so if you can get your hands on some olio nuovo it will give you some extra kick to finish the dish off.

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 slices of thick pane casareccio (or Tuscan bread)
1 kg of cavolo nero (black kale)
4 garlic cloves
300 g fresh ricotta
salt and pepper
olio nuovo

Preparation

Drizzle bread with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes at 180 C (350 F)

While that’s toasting, boil a large pot of lightly salted water and blanch the cavolo nero for 2 minutes – just until it begins to soften but has a little bit of crunch left.  Strain and let cool for a few minutes.

In a small mixing bowl combine the ricotta with 3 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.

When the bruschette come out of the oven cut the garlic cloves in half and rub them onto the toast.  You want to do this after they come out of the oven so you don’t burn the garlic oil which ends up tasting very bitter.

Spread the ricotta and olive oil mixture over the bread, cover it with the cavolo nero, drizzle with olive oil and serve.