Whole-Wheat Fusilli with Braised Savoy Cabbage & Fennel

Planet Cheese 149 WW-Fusilli.jpg

Whole-wheat pasta has a robust, nutty, grainy taste that I like with winter greens. You could add a little crumbled sausage to this sauce if you like, but it doesn’t need it. If you can’t find whole-wheat fusilli (De Cecco makes it), substitute another whole-wheat shape, or use regular fusilli. From Four Seasons Pasta by Janet Fletcher (Chronicle Books).

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 large yellow onion, minced

  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced

  • Pinch hot pepper flakes

  • 2 pounds Savoy cabbage, cut into 1-inch wedges, cored, then thinly sliced

  • 3/4 teaspoon fennel seed crushed in a mortar or spice grinder, or more to taste

  • Kosher or sea salt

  • 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

  • 1 pound whole-wheat fusilli or other short pasta

  • 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for the table

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over moderately low heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and starting to color, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and sauté briefly to release the garlic fragrance. Add the cabbage and 3/4 teaspoon fennel seed; season with salt and stir well. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage wilts and softens, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the parsley and keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Set aside 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot over low heat. Add the cabbage, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup cheese. Toss until the butter melts, moistening with reserved pasta water—you will probably need quite a bit of it.

Divide the pasta among warm bowls and serve immediately. Pass additional cheese at the table.

Serves 6

Return to Cooking for Comfort page