Recipes › Cabbage (Spring) › Spring Cabbage, White Bean and Nduja Braise
Spring Cabbage, White Bean and Nduja Braise
This is a proper weeknight supper — big, satisfying and built around a generous pile of spring cabbage that braised low and slow becomes silky and sweet. Fiery nduja melts into the base giving the whole dish a deep, paprika-red heat, while white beans make it substantial enough to eat on its own with good bread. Italian in spirit, but perfectly at home on a rainy British April evening.
Cabbage (Spring) is usually ready March to May. More cabbage (spring) recipes, or see what to sow this month where you are.
Ingredients
- 500 spring cabbage, core removed, leaves roughly torn into large pieces
- 80 g nduja, casing removed if necessaryor use 1 tsp smoked hot paprika plus 1 tbsp olive oil for a vegetarian version
- 800 g tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (2 x 400g tins)or use borlotti beans
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200 ml chicken stockor use vegetable stock
- 2 fresh rosemary, needles finely chopped
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Contains: sulphites.
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan or shallow casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to turn golden at the edges.About 5 min
- Add the nduja to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. It will melt into the oil quickly, turning everything a vivid orange-red. Stir and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant, then add the sliced garlic and chopped rosemary and cook for a further 1 minute.About 3 min
- Pour in the tinned tomatoes and stock. Stir well to combine, scraping any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a brisk simmer.About 2 min
- Add the drained cannellini beans, stir to coat them in the sauce, and return to a simmer.About 1 min
- Add all the torn spring cabbage leaves to the pan — the pan will look very full but the cabbage will wilt down significantly. Push the leaves down into the liquid, put a lid on the pan and cook over a medium heat for 7 minutes, lifting the lid to stir and press the cabbage down every couple of minutes.About 7 min
- Remove the lid and cook for a further 2 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. The cabbage should be tender but still have some body — not mush. Stir in the red wine vinegar, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.About 2 min
- Ladle into wide bowls, finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if using, and serve with crusty bread or grilled sourdough to mop up the sauce.
Tips
- Nduja varies a lot in heat level between brands — taste yours before adding it. If it is very fiery you might want 60g rather than 80g, especially if feeding children.
- Do not shred the cabbage finely for this — you want big torn pieces that hold their texture through the braise and give you something to chew on.
- A splash of red wine vinegar at the end is not optional. It cuts through the richness of the nduja and lifts the whole dish.
Ring the changes
- To make this vegetarian, replace the nduja with 1 teaspoon of smoked hot paprika and a pinch of chilli flakes fried in olive oil, and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Stir in 200g of cooked farro or pearl barley along with the beans to make it even more substantial — it soaks up the sauce beautifully.
Keeping it
Keeps well in the fridge in a lidded container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water if the sauce has thickened. The flavour improves overnight. Freezes well for up to 2 months.
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