Cavolo nero, apple and mint salad
- Published: 8 Feb 21
- Updated: 4 Mar 25
Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s crunchy vegan winter salad with cavolo nero, apple, mint, celery and croutons works fantastically well as a healthy lunch or interesting side dish.
This recipe is adapted from A Year of Simple Family Food by Julia Busuttil Nishimura (Plum £18.99).
Or, try this boldly flavoured warm salad with za’atar-spiced cauliflower, red onion and rice.
Ingredients
- ½ bunch cavolo nero (about 150g), tough stems removed, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 slices sourdough bread, torn into chunks
- 60g blanched almonds
- 1 pink lady apple, halved, cored and finely sliced
- 1 celery stick, finely sliced
- Handful fresh mint leaves, torn
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Put the cavolo nero in a large bowl and pour over half the olive oil. Season well with sea salt and massage the oil into the leaves. Set aside. In another bowl, toss the bread in the remaining olive oil and season with salt. Arrange the bread chunks on a baking tray and toast for 10 minutes or until golden. Add the almonds to the tray for the final 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, then lightly crush the toasted bread using a rolling pin and roughly chop the almonds (see Make Ahead). Add these to the cabbage in the bowl, followed by the apple, celery and mint.
- For the dressing, put all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well using your hands, then transfer to a dish to serve.
- Recipe from February 2021 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 337kcals
- Fat
- 25.9g (3.2g saturated)
- Protein
- 7.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 17.9g (5.7g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.4g
- Salt
- 0.3g
delicious. tips
If you’re enjoying this as a meal on its own (and you’re not vegan), sprinkle over 40g parmesan or vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese.
Make the croutons and toasted almonds up to a day ahead and store in an airtight container.
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