Today we talk about fettuccine with Savoy cabbage and walnut pesto. Yes, the main star of this dish is one of the vegetables not much “liked” by adults and children alike due to its strong and persistent smell. In this recipe, however, we will discover its delicacy, its sweet flavor to be paired, for contrast, with stronger flavors like dried fruits, speck, bacon, and so on. The fettuccine with Savoy cabbage and walnut pesto will surprise you. The pesto with Savoy cabbage is creamy, very easy, as well as very tasty and not at all heavy. It is tasty and more delicate than you would expect. It can also be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until it’s time to use it; furthermore, if you have any leftover, you can use it to dress sandwiches, bruschetta, etc… If we don’t have walnuts, we can use almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or pistachios. The recipe is by Alessandra Spisni; I have made small changes to the original, dictated by my tastes.
Within the blog, you will find other recipes with Savoy cabbage as the main ingredient, such as stuffed Savoy cabbage rolls, rice and Savoy cabbage soup, and much more.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 1 lb Savoy cabbage (already cleaned)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsps mix of pecorino and parmesan
- to taste salt and pepper
- to taste chili pepper (optional)
- to taste walnuts
- 9 oz egg fettuccine
- to taste chopped bacon or speck (optional)
- to taste parmesan and walnut crumbs (to complete the dish)
Preparation
Wash the Savoy cabbage leaves and remove the tough stems. Roughly chop them with a knife, put them in a pot with cold water, and let them blanch with a pinch of fine salt, until they become tender.
Drain the cabbage, put 2/3 of it in a blender bowl, add the grated cheese, crumbled walnuts, oil, and blend until you reach the desired consistency. If the mixture is too thick, we can thin it with a little more oil or pasta water. Adjust the pesto with salt and pepper or chili pepper, according to our taste, and cover it until it’s time to use it.
Bring the water to a boil for the pasta.
Meanwhile, brown the chopped speck (or cubed bacon) over low heat in a large pan, without adding fats. Then, add both the non-blended cabbage and the pesto, and mix, keeping the flame low, letting it flavor for a minute.
Drain the pasta al dente and pour it into the pan. Toss the pasta, stirring well to distribute the dressing over the fettuccine, adding a little water (from the pasta) at a time to create a cream. Serve with additional grated parmesan and walnut crumbs.
