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By Root 258 0

when you’re in the money, but vegetables and beans have always been the mainstays in any Italian’s diet. One of the things I love most about Italian cooking is the reverence with which vegetables are regarded. From humble corn comes polenta; peasant food, yes, but when treated with the respect it deserves, polenta becomes soulful and memorable as well as one of the most comforting foods on the planet. Or how about the lowly bean? Italians from long ago cooked them al fiasco, in a flask in the embers of a fire. If I had to choose one bean dish that had some showmanship, some style, this would be it. And yet this dish dates back to a time when fuel cost more than the beans themselves, and this manner of cooking, like many aspects of Italian cuisine, came about through resourcefulness, the Italian talent of making the best of what you’ve got on hand.

You’ll see these side dishes in surprising places through-out the book—the carrot caponata with the Bruschetta Trio, or the Calabrese Romano Bean Ragù with grilled quail and sausages. Leaf through this chapter and widen the scope of your contorni. And don’t forget what is possibly the most popular contorno at Bottega: our Prosciutto-Wrapped Truffle Fries.

Five Onion–Braised Cavolo Nero

Roasted Branch of Brussels Sprouts with Fennel Spice

Zucchini Spaghettini

Carrot, Onion, and Eggplant Caponata

Heirloom Toscanelli Beans al Fiasco

Calabrese Romano Bean Ragù

Sautéed Spinach with Preserved Meyer Lemon

Five Onion–Braised Cavolo Nero

SERVES 8 TO 10

There’s something magical about onions cooked long and slow. Make it five varieties of onions, and you really have a showcase method of preparing kale or black cabbage, the incomparable cavolo nero. Scout out farmers’ markets or ask your produce person if they can find cavolo nero for you. Shallots, red and yellow onions, leeks, and scallions all bring subtle flavor notes to this dish, but even if you only have two out of the five onions on hand, you can still make this, and you’ll be glad you did.

This is super-slow cooking; the pot stays over the heat for about an hour in all, but since you just stir occasionally, you can attend to other kitchen tasks at the same time.

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely diced shallots

1 cup finely diced red onion

1 cup finely diced yellow onion

1 cup rinsed and finely diced leeks, white portion only (about 2 leeks)

1 cup finely diced scallions, white portion only (about 16 scallions)

1 cup shredded peeled carrot (about 2 large carrots)

½ cup golden raisins

16 cups finely shredded cavolo nero (black cabbage) or kale (1 to 1½ pounds)

½ cup Vegetable Stock, plus more if needed

Sea salt, preferably gray salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat an 8-quart stockpot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallots, red and yellow onions, leeks, scallions, and carrots and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until very soft. Stir occasionally while slowly cooking the vegetables; don’t let them get brown.

Add the raisins and the cabbage to the pot. Cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and luscious, adding ½ cup stock or water anytime the pot seems dry. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm, as a side dish for grilled steaks, roasted chicken, or steamed fish.

CHEF’S NOTE: Okay, you read through this recipe, saw the 16 cups of shredded black cabbage, and thought, “No way!” Here’s a trick to get around shredding that much cabbage: Beg your produce guy to let the deli cooks in your grocery store thin-slice all the cabbage for you on their meat slicer. Take a bottle of wine for both of them, and beg. It won’t take much time on their end, and you’ll get to learn the names of these people you see every week behind the counter. It’s a win-win-win, because then you get to taste this braise without doing the shredding.

Roasted Branch of Brussels Sprouts with Fennel Spice

SERVES 8 TO 10

A full stalk of Brussels sprouts is a beautiful thing. Try cooking the entire branch with the little heads left on. I’m seeing whole branches of Brussels