With the arrival of the cold weather, I decided to make this salad to show that even in late November it is possible to make dishes that we usually associate with the warm season.

In this case, I wanted to enhance black kale.

Black kale is a variety of cabbage that is best grown in central Italy, particularly in Tuscany, where it is the main ingredient in soups and minestrone. In fact, kale is very versatile, as well as being healthy and nutritious.

Here we quickly sauté it in a pan and make it crispy in the oven!

Different cooking techniques make this dish unusual and tasty.

Ingredients for 4 people

For the roasted kale:

• 8 black kale leaves
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt and pepper

For the crispy kale:

• 4 black kale leaves
• extra virgin olive oil

For the marinated cabbage:

• 2 leaves of purple cabbage
• apple cider vinegar
• salt
• 1 Martin Sec pear (also ideal for cooking)
• a few pomegranate seeds
• mixed nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds)

Preparation methodology

Remove the stalks from the leaves of the kale.

Finely chop the leaves to be roasted, heat the frying pan, add 1/2 teaspoon of oil and the garlic clove. Sauté for a few minutes over a high flame and add a little salt.

Separately, finely slice the kale stalks, blanch them in boiling salted water for two minutes and then roast them in the same way as the leaves. Add the leaves to the stalks.

For the crispy black kale, season the leaves with a little oil and salt, massaging them with your hands. Place them on a baking tray and bake them in the oven at about 130°C for about 10 to 15 minutes until crispy.

Cut the purple cabbage into thin strips and marinate them with a few drops of vinegar and a little salt. Let them rest for a few hours.

Roast the dried fruit for about 15 minutes in a static oven at 120°C.

Remove the pomegranate seeds by shelling them and cut some thin slices of pear with a knife.

Serve the various elements trying to give height to the plate and arrange the crunchy kale leaves on top.

Enjoy your meal!!

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Davide Larise

“Teacher at the Italian Food Academy and Alma the International School of Italian Cuisine. Today he is a consultant for restaurants and companies. Davide has worked at chef Pietro Leemann’s Joia restaurant in Milan.”

This recipe was prepared on