Egg Pasta With Cabbage, Potato And Bacon

Talk about the perfect pasta dish for a stormy night-this is it. I couldn’t have asked for better weather for serving this pasta. It was raining, hailing and super windy and with a fire going in the fireplace, it was almost as if we were somewhere other than Southern California at the end of February.

I’ve written about my fondness for the Off Duty section of the Saturday Wall Street Journal before and this is another recipe that I discovered there. This series of Slow Food Fast recipes comes from Amaryll Schwertner, chef and owner of Boulette’s Larder in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. If you ever find yourself near the Ferry Building you owe it to yourself to stop by Boulette’s for a meal. We were lucky to discover this intimate and very interesting spot not long after it opened. You can dine in or get food and incredible ingredients to go. I personally plan on hosting a dinner party there some day. Want to come along?

The crispy bacon, creamy potatoes and tasty cabbage made for the perfect pasta dish on a wintry evening. Use the best Italian pasta you can find-it makes all the difference.

Egg Pasta With Cabbage, Potato And Bacon

6 ounces bacon (or pancetta or guanciale) cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
6 cups cabbage, preferably Savoy, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon sugar
Olive oil as needed
1-1/2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2″ pieces
3/4 pound egg tagliatelle or fettuccine
Ricotta Salata or Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Set a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add bacon and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is browned, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate.

Increase heat to medium and add onion. Stir to coat and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in cabbage, sugar and pinch of salt. Cook, over medium-high heat, until lightly caramelized, about 13 minutes. As cabbage breaks down, it should be lightly coated in drippings. If it’s dry, add a swirl of oil.

Meanwhile, add potatoes to the boiling water. Boil until al dente, about 7 minutes. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon from the pot. Add to cabbage mixture and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until flavors meld, about 3 minutes.

Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente. In a large bowl, toss pasta with potato-cabbage mixture, bacon. Sprinkle with ricotta salata or parmigiano-reggiano. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.