Pappardelle with Cavolo Nero & Cannellini Cream
Making Pasta is one of my favourite activities in the kitchen. You only need a couple of ingredients and once you’ve established your ‘working pace’ it can be very soothing.
A couple of days ago, I made pappardelle and kept them quite thick to achieve the perfect level of chewiness. There is something really comforting in biting into a forkful of thick, fresh pasta. Especially now, that days are getting shorter, that comforting bite along with a good glass of wine seems to be all I need to shake the day off.
I paired my pappardelle with a cavolo nero & hazelnut pesto and strategically placed them on a bed of creamy cannellini beans cooked in milk. Inspired by one of the most classic winter combos of Tuscan cuisine, this dish turned out to be extremely tasty. The part I enjoy the most is how the pesto slowly mixes with the cannellini cream while you roll the pappardelle with your fork. I just can’t stop thinking of it!
You can obviously make this dish without making your own pappardelle, just chose a pasta you like.
Pesto Variations
Ingredients
Pappardelle
3 eggs
300g flour
1 tbsp of water
Cavolo Nero Pesto
200g cavolo nero
1 handful of hazelnuts
1 handful of almonds
1 clove of garlic
50g of pecorino romano
50g of parmesan
1 pinch of coarse salt
6tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Cannellini Cream
1 shallot
1 tin of cannellini beans
1 glass of milk
Sage
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Step by step
For the Pasta
Place the flour on your working surface. With your hands dig a small hole in the middle of your pile of flour. Break the eggs and add them in the middle pile of flour
With a fork, slightly beat the eggs and start mixing them with the flour. When the dough starts coming together add your tbsp of water and start kneading. Keep kneading for at least 5 minutes and until the dough becomes softer and elastic. Cover with cling film and let it rest for 30min
Roll the dough out by hand or with the pasta machine. Let it dry a few minutes and turn around, so it dries on both sides
Roll the pasta sheet on itself to form a cylinder. With a knife cut 2cm width stripes. Unravel them and your pappardelle are ready!
For the Pesto
Clean the cavolo nero and get rid of the tough central stalk. Blanch it in boiling water for 5minutes. Drain the water and let it cool down
Once cooled down, add the cavolo in a blender along with garlic, pinch of salt and nuts. Blitz for a few seconds. Now add in the parmesan, pecorino & olive oil. Your pesto is ready!
For the Cannellini Cream
Add olive oil in a non-stick pan. Sauté the shallot along with the sage. Add in the beans and seasoning. Cook for a few minutes and add in your glass of milk
Bring to boil and lower the heat. Cover with a lid and let it cook slowly until most of the milk is absorbed and the beans are soft. Blend them until smooth
Assembling the dish
Bring water to boil and add coarse salt. Cook your pappardelle or the pasta of your choice. Keep aside a glass of the cooking water
Once drained, mix the pappardelle with your pesto. If you feel it’s a bit dry add some of the water you’ve put aside and mix vigorously
In a plate, spread your cannellini cream. Add the pasta on top and serve
Tips & cheats
You can be the master of your pesto! This means that you can chose to use any kind of nut you might like. I used hazelnuts and almonds, but you might want to use walnuts or even brazil nuts. Whatever rocks your boat!
The same applies for the cheese ratio. I did 1:1 pecorino and parmesan. You might prefer to go all in and do 100% pecorino or opt for a different ratio. Just make sure you taste it as you blend and adjust accordingly.
When it comes to the beans, the milk will help you achieve a creamy texture and delicate taste. Just make sure you remember to turn the heat down and slowly simmer. If you keep the heat too high the milk will curdle. You can substitute this with nut milk if you prefer.