Pasta with Cabbage

Pasta with Cabbage: Step by Step

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1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of well-salted boiling water according to the packet. Keep a cup of the water, then drain.

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2. Cook the bacon in a wide pan with the oil for 4 minutes until crisp. Add the cabbage, cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring twice, until soft.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

3. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and salt for 1 minute.

   Mark done Start 1 min timer

4. Toss in the pasta with a splash of the water and serve with the parmesan.

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What Can Go Wrong

1. Shred the cabbage thin so it cooks fast.
2. Cover the pan for the first part to soften the cabbage.
3. Do not add water.
4. Leave out the bacon for a vegetarian dish.

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

The Short Version

The first sign it is ready is the smell: sweet, almost buttery cabbage, rendered bacon fat and garlic warming together. It is not the sulphurous smell of boiled cabbage, which comes from cooking it for too long in water.

Shred the cabbage thinly and cook it in a wide pan with bacon fat and a little oil, covered, over a medium heat. It softens in about 10 minutes and turns sweet as it browns slightly at the edges. Do not add water. The cabbage releases enough of its own liquid, and extra water makes it soggy.

Cook the pasta separately until just firm. Toss it into the cabbage with a splash of the pasta water, which loosens the mixture and carries the flavour onto every piece.

Garlic and chilli flakes added near the end give the dish brightness, and parmesan finishes it. It works with Savoy, white or hispi cabbage.

On the Table Alongside

Green salad · Crusty bread · Grated parmesan · A glass of white wine

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Tuscan Panzanella, Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Ciabatta.

Leftovers

Keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat with a splash of water.

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

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