Ingredients

• 2 large heads cavolo nero

• 2 large handfuls walnuts, shelled • 80g Parmesan, very finely grated • 4 tbsps caster sugar

• 150ml olive oil

• Half a bulb of garlic

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 egg yolk

• 3 anchovy fillets

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• Ground black pepper

Method

① One day in advance, wrap half a garlic bulb in foil and roast at 180˚C for 30mins. Remove and allow to cool. Squeeze the soft pulp from each clove and discard the skin. Leave the roasted garlic paste overnight in the fridge.

② Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Dissolve the sugar in about 30ml of water in a small saucepan and heat on a medium flame, stirring continuously, until the solution starts to look syrupy. Add the walnuts, stir thoroughly and remove the pan from the heat. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet lined with cooking parchment and put into the oven for 12–15 mins until they turn dark brown. Remove, set aside, and allow them to cool completely.

③ Remove the whole stems with leaves from the cavolo nero heads and strip off the dark green crinkly sheets. Discard everything else. Cut the leaves into 8cm pieces and place into a large pan of boiling salted water. After 1min, drain and rinse under a cold tap for a further 1min. Dry the leaves thoroughly in a salad spinner and set aside.

④ In your largest mixing bowl, press the anchovy fillets with the back of a wooden spoon until they form a paste, add the egg yolk, roasted garlic and mustard and whisk with a fork. Now pour the olive oil in a very thin stream with one hand, whisking continuously with the other. It is important to do this very slowly so the dressing takes on a smooth, silky consistency, like mayonnaise.

⑤ Mix in the lemon juice and add the cavolo nero a few leaves at a time, turning them over to ensure all are evenly coated. Add half the grated Parmesan and the candied walnuts, turn over a few more times and distribute evenly over four plates. Scatter the remaining Parmesan and give each plate a twist of black pepper.