The orecchiette with cabbage is a very simple and quick first course. In the Bari tradition, it is prepared by sautéing fresh pork lard with oil, but the variations can be with smoked bacon or guanciale. Some prefer it by adding tomato as well. Cabbage is one of those foods that not everyone likes, I think more for the smell it emits when cooking. There are different types of cabbage: white, green, purple, and orange. The white, orange, and purple have a sweeter taste, the green a bit more acidic. Personally, I prefer the green and purple for dressing pasta, while the white for frying, I haven’t tasted the orange one yet, where I live it is not available at any greengrocer. In this recipe, I prepared the classic Bari orecchiette with local green cabbage and a sauté of oil and guanciale. Here is the recipe for you!!

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Boiling
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter

Ingredients

1 cauliflower
1.1 lbs orecchiette
3.5 oz guanciale
oil
chili pepper
pecorino

Preparation

Cut and wash the cabbage.
In a pot, bring water to a boil then add the cabbage and salt. If you decide to use fresh pasta, the cooking time for the cauliflower will be 10 minutes, plus the pasta cooking time, so a total of about 15 minutes. If you use dry pasta, cook for 5 minutes, plus the pasta’s indicated cooking time. Anyway, you can decide whether you want the cauliflower crunchier or more cooked and creamy.
Meanwhile, in a pan over low heat, sauté oil, guanciale, and chili pepper until the fat is rendered and it is caramelized, about 5 minutes.
After the 10 minutes of cooking the cauliflower, add the orecchiette.
At the end of cooking, drain the orecchiette with the cauliflower and pour them into the pan with the seasoning, add the pecorino and toss.
The orecchiette with cabbage are ready!!