Cavolo nero bruschetta

As I’m writing this, I’m in pain. I had one of my wisdom teeth removed yesterday and it hurts like hell. I had never been to the dentist for anything other than a teeth cleaning and I have always been bragging about my healthy and good teeth. Not even one filling.

A month ago though, when I visited my dentist for a routine cleaning, she announced that my two lower wisdom teeth needed to be removed. I was terrified.

I have been through major operations and have endured a great deal of physical pain but never in any parts of my head. Not on my face, not in my mouth, not involving teeth!

I tried to be calm about it at first, but as the day of the extraction drew closer, I became agitated. S kept telling me it was nothing, my mom the same, but I knew it was going to be painful, if not during the actual removal of the tooth, but the anesthetic injection and afterwards.

Now, it is afterwards, and I’m in pain. I don’t like it. So to take my mind off the pain, I’m writing instead about these bruschette that I had when I could still chew without my jaw hurting. (It will pass, I know, bear with me, I’m in pain).

When I saw the last bunch of cavolo nero (Italian kale) at the super market the other day, I jumped on it before anyone else could snatch it. I love cavolo nero and its slightly bitter flavor reminds me a lot of the Greek wild greens zohos.

So what I did was simply boil it until its leaves became tender, removed the middle white vein and tossed the chopped leaves with good Greek olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I sliced a baguette and toasted it in the oven, I rubbed some garlic on one side of each slice, drizzled with some olive oil and arranged the kale on top. I topped the bruschette off with shaved Grana Padano and a final drizzling of olive oil, and it was the best lunch eaten on a sunny day. Simplicity in all its glory, and we needed nothing more.

PS. I’m removing the second wisdom tooth next month. Wish me luck!

Cavolo Nero and Grana Padano Bruschetta

If you can’t find cavolo nero, substitute with another type of kale.

Grana Padano is a delicious Italian cheese, similar to Parmesan but with fewer “crystals” and a milder and less salty flavor.

Yield: 14 small bruschette for 4-5 people

Ingredients
300 g cavolo nero (or other type of kale)
Juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
1 baguette (14 slices)
1 large garlic clove, peeled
Grana Padano, shaved
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Special equipment: colander, vegetable or cheese peeler


Preparation
Preheat your oven to 220ºC.

Fill a large pot with water and add some salt. Bring to the boil over high heat.
Rinse cavolo nero well under cold running water and trim the bottom very hard stems.
Add it to the pot and boil for about 6 minutes until the leaves are tender. Drain it in a colander and immediately run it under cold running water to stop it from cooking further.

Using a knife, cut off and discard the central hard white vein of each cavolo nero leaf (don’t remove it all the way up, it’s not that tough towards the tip of the leaf). Place leaves on paper towels to absorb the moisture and then chop them roughly (it’s easy to lay the leaves on the paper as the keep their shape when boiled). Add them to a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and half of the lemon juice, add salt and pepper and mix with your hands. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning, olive oil and lemon.

In the meantime, place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and place on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Toast until they are crispy and crunchy and have taken on a golden brown color. Remove them from the oven and let them cool a bit, enough to handle. Take the garlic clove and rub it on one side of each slice of bread and drizzle with a little olive oil. Top with some of the dressed cavolo nero and add a piece of shaved Grana Padano on top. Drizzle a little olive oil over the bruschette and serve immediately.
Enjoy!