Bowls of dark green chicory leaves, usually boiled then sautéed in garlic and chilli, are to be found in every restaurant in Rome. Romans love them and, though they have an acquired bitter taste, they do give you a certain self-satisfied feeling of eating something healthy; a ‘you know you have had your greens and your mother would be pleased with you’ sort of feeling. However, more widely available here, and more to my taste, are kale or spinach, either of which can be used for this recipe. The beautiful dark-leaved cavolo nero, or ‘black kale’, is becoming more common over here, when it is in season, but any kale is fine.