• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra to finish
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 leeks, white parts only, diced
• 1 bunch ‘Lacinato’ kale, leaves stripped from stems and slivered
• 1 small savoy cabbage, quartered, cored and chopped
• 2 plump garlic cloves, minced or pounded with a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup cooked cannellini, navy or gigantes (lima) beans
• Freshly ground pepper
Chop all the vegetables (rinse the leeks, kale and cabbage but don’t dry them). Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy, wide skillet. Add onions and leeks, and cook over medium-low heat until onion is soft but not browned, about 12 minutes. Add kale, cabbage, garlic, parsley and salt. Cook with the heat on low and the pan covered until the vegetables are soft and the volume greatly reduced, about 30 minutes.
Add beans, along with a cup or two of their cooking liquid. Simmer until the greens are completely tender, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with, or over, garlic-rubbed toast, drizzled with olive oil.
—From Local Flavors (Broadway Books, 2002)