Zuppa di Cavolo Nero

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy pan and add the chopped onion, celery and carrot. Cook until they are softened and browned, and then add the tomatoes, thyme and potatoes.

Leave the mixture to cook gently and for the flavours to infuse, meanwhile take off the cabbage leaves, wash them and cut them into long, thin strips. Add the leaves and then the beans to the pan, followed by 2 litres of cold water. (I used 1 ½ litres of water and felt no need to add any later on). Stir together and season to taste. Bring the mixture to the boil, then cover and simmer for about 2 hours.

Put a layer of the sliced bread at the bottom of each soup dish, sprinkle over with olive oil and then pour over the soup. Felicity (my sister) reminds me to serve WITHOUT Parmesan cheese.

When my cherished cavolo nero (black cabbage) plants were targeted by all the caterpillars in Whitstone, I was totally gutted, and so were the cabbages! I’d followed the instruction on the seed packet to the letter; I’d thinned out and transplanted, watered and talked to them – admittedly only in English – but they had come along a treat.

My sister had regaled me with tales of delicious Tuscan cavolo nero dishes and sent me a special recipe from the aunt of my Florentine brother-in-law in readiness for my harvest.

Then came the caterpillars. I just left the sad skeletal growth in its plot and thought no more about it, until a little warm sunshine took me into that part of the garden again recently. I just could not believe what had been happening beneath all the snow and ice, to produce a fresh dark green crop of leaves

Maybe this would be no surprise to your expert agriculturists ...

Yesterday I gathered in all the best leaves and at last cooked up that promised Italian speciality. It is really to be recommended, and if you cannot get true cavolo nero, (I know my sister can buy it in her nearest supermarket in London, but that doesn’t help us much), I think you could try it using savoy cabbage leaves, even though I suspect Aunt Silvana would faint at the thought!

Mrs Trewhitless