savoy cabbage

savoy cabbage with egg and cheese / pipetto (verza con uovo e formaggio)

| Simona

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versione in italiano

savoy cabbage with egg and cheese
version with purple savoy cabbage
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Pipetto1 is a comforting side dish from Crema (a city in Lombardy, northern Italy): savoy cabbage with a mix of spices (noce moscata, pepe nero, cannella, chiodi di garofano), egg and cheese, perfect for winter. I found different recipes for it and below is my rendition.

purple savoy cabbage
pretty purple variety of savoy cabbage
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

As the photo shows, I have made the dish with both green and purple savoy cabbage and both were excellent.

Savoy cabbage with egg and cheese
version with green savoy cabbage (ceramic vase by @fem_pottery, placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

I steam the savoy cabbage before cooking it with the egg and cheese, frittata-style, and like I do with frittata, I finish cooking it under the broiler. The original recipe calls for Grana Padano cheese, which is hard to find here and rather expensive, so I substitute it with cave-aged Gruyère.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Savoy cabbage with egg and cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound 9 ounces / 700 grams savoy cabbage (weighed after removing, if necessary, the external leaves)
  • 1 large egg, possibly from pastured poultry
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 1/2 ounces / 100 grams Grana Padano cheese, freshly grated (I used cave-aged Gruyère)
  • 1 ounce / 2 tablespoons / 30 grams unsalted butter
  • 1 garlic clove

Quarter the savoy cabbage and cut away the tough central core. Halve each quarter lengthwise, then slice each eighth into 1/4 inch strips.

Steam the savoy cabbage until tender (8-10 minutes), if necessary, half at a time  to ensure even cooking. Transfer the savoy cabbage to a large bowl.

Break the egg into a small bowl, whisk it with a fork to blend yolk and white, then add the salt and all the spices and whisk briefly. Add the cheese and stir, then pour onto the savoy cabbage and stir well to incorporate. Let rest for 2-3 hours.

Warm up a 10-inch / 25-cm skillet. Add half the butter and, when melted, add the garlic clove, peeled and halved. After a minute, remove the garlic and swirl the butter to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Transfer the savoy cabbage to the skillet and distribute it evenly. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, turn on the broiler. (In a broiler drawer, use the low setting. In a regular oven, place the rack lower than the middle.)

Melt the remaining butter and drizzle it on the savoy cabbage. Place the skillet in the oven for 3 minutes, leaving the door ajar.

Take the skillet out of the oven (don’t forget that the handle is hot) and let rest for a few minutes, then slide the savoy cabbage onto a serving plate, cut and serve immediately.

Serves: 4-6

1 A version of this recipe (as Spiced cabbage with egg) can be found in the cookbook La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy by the Italian Academy of Cuisine

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting the product on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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pipetto (pipèto o nusèt): verza con uovo e formaggio

Savoy cabbage with egg and cheese
un ottimo contorno per cene invernali (vaso di ceramica di @fem_pottery, tovaglietta di La FABBRICA del LINO)

Ho trovato la ricetta per questo piatto, tipico della zona di Crema, a base di verza sul sito dell’Accademia Italiana della Cucina.1 Poi ne ho trovate altre2 e quella che vi presento è la mia versione, basata sulle ricette e sui miei esperimenti. Sulla versione in inglese del post potete vedere la foto di una varietà di verza con le foglie screziate viola che mi sembra di capire non si trovi in Italia (e che non va confusa con il cavolo rosso).

Sulla pagina di Wikipedia dedicata a questo contorno3 il nome pipèto deriva dal metodo di cottura (stufatura lenta) e nusèt dall’uso della noce moscata per insaporire il piatto.

Ingredienti:

  • 700 grammi di verza (pesata dopo aver rimosso, se necessario, le foglie esterne)
  • 1 uovo codice 0
  • 1/2 cucchiaino di sale fino
  • 1/4 cucchiaino di cannella in polvere
  • 1/4 cucchiaino di chiodi di garofano in polvere
  • 1/4 cucchiaino di pepe nero macinato fresco
  • 1/8 cucchiaino di noce moscata in polvere
  • 100 grammi di Grana Padano grattugiato fresco (io ho usato Gruyère stagionato poiché qui non trovo Grana Padano di qualità ad un prezzo accessibile)
  • 30 grammi di burro
  • 1 spicchio d’aglio

Tagliate la verza in quarti e rimuovete il torsolo. Tagliate ogni quarto a metà per lungo e poi ogni ottavo a listarelle larghe mezzo centimetro. Cuocete la verza al vapore fino a quando sia tenera (8-10 minuti) metà per volta se necessario. Trasferite la verza in un’insalatiera.

Rompete l’uovo in una ciotola e sbattetelo leggermente con una forchetta, poi aggiungete il sale e le spezie e mescolate. Aggiungete il formaggio versatelo e mescolate. Infine, versate il tutto sulla verza e mescolate bene per incorporare. Lasciate riposare per 2-3 ore.

Scaldate su fuoco medio una padella di 25 cm di diametro. Mettete metà del burro nella padella e, quando è fuso, aggiungete l’aglio tagliato a metà. Dopo un minuto, rimuovete l’aglio e distribuite il burro sul fondo della padella.

Versate la verza nella padella e distribuitela in modo da formare uno strato uniforme. Cuocete su fuoco basso per 10 minuti.

Nel frattempo, accendete la parte alta del forno. Posizionate la griglia al di sotto alla metà.

Fondete il resto del burro e distribuitelo sulla superficie della verza. Mettete la padella nel forno, lasciando lo sportello socchiuso, per 3  minuti.

Tirate fuori la padella (fate attenzione: il manico scotta) e fate riposare un paio di minuti, poi trasferite il pipetto su un piatto, tagliate e servite subito.

Porzioni: 4

1 La ricetta del pipetto dell’Accademia italiana della cucina
2 Un’altra ricetta e una terza
3 Wikipedia: pipèto

Un mondo d'ingredienti logoContribuisco la mia versione del pipetto, contorno a base di verza della tradizione cremasca (Lombardia), alla lettera V di Un mondo d’ingredienti evento creato dall’instancabile Aiu’ di Trattoria Muvara

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

Copyright © 2007 – 2026 Simona Carini. All rights reserved.

savoy cabbage and radicchio / cavolo verza e radicchio

| Simona
DSC_8259

a brilliant flavor behind subdued color
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

A few pages into The Patriarch by Martin Walker, the current selection of our Cook the Books Club, I had this image of Bruno, the protagonist, as a head of cabbage and Pamela, his girlfriend (who in the course of the novel becomes his ex) as a head of radicchio1.

Bruno reminded me of a head of cabbage because, although he is a pleasant and sensitive person, a smart and conscientious policeman, a gardener, a cook, a horseback rider and dog owner, you’d probably overlook him at a party attended by other detectives from the literature, like Salvo Montalbano, Pepe Carvalho or Rocco Schiavone. Ebullient entrepreneur Pamela wishes him well as she moves on to another relationship. 

radicchio di Treviso / IMG_0758

I could not be in Venice this fall, but got some California-grown radicchio

The novel was a pleasant read, weaving together into a tense plot local politics, the history of WWII, and the past and present life of the various characters. There is plenty of food and wine in the story, which is set in the south of France, and some recipes, but the image of Bruno as a head of cabbage stuck with me. I have always liked cabbage and appreciated its versatility. I think it is undervalued when not denigrated outright, which is unjust.

Finding plenty of cabbage of all varieties (savoy, green, red, cone, napa) at the farmers’ market, plus some gorgeous radicchio rosso di Treviso got me experimenting with pairing those until I obtained the lovely side dish (contorno) below, which marries radicchio‘s distinctive light bitterness with savoy cabbage2.

radicchio di Treviso / IMG_4048

The voluptuous beauty of radicchio rosso di Treviso

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Savoy cabbage and radicchio

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons / 45 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 ounces / 112 g onion, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Harissa spice mix3, or to taste
  • 8 ounces / 225 g savoy cabbage
  • 5 ounces / 140 g radicchio rosso di Treviso, variety precoce (early)
  • 1/4 cup / 60 ml coconut milk
  • fine sea salt, to taste (depending on the salt content of the Harissa spice mix)
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almond, lightly toasted in a dry skillet (optional, as topping)

Warm up the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or pot. Add the onion, stir well and cook on gentle heat until soft, 18-20 minutes, stirring often.

Quarter the savoy cabbage. Separate the leaves of radicchio. Cut both vegetables into 1/4 inch / 0.5 cm wide ribbons.

Add the garlic to the onion and stir. After a minute, add the Harissa and stir well. After another minute or so, add the cabbage and stir well. Again wait a minute or so, then add the radicchio and stir well. Cover and cook on gentle heat for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then.

Add the coconut milk, stir well, cover again and continue cooking on gentle heat until the vegetables are soft. 

Adjust salt, give it a final stir and take off the heat. If using, sprinkle almonds on top. Serve warm.

Serves 3-4.

savoy cabbage and radicchio di Treviso / IMG_0786

a view of the cutting board

The output of this recipe can also be used as topping for a savory tart.

1 There are several types of radicchio, tied to their production zone:

  • radicchio rosso di Treviso
  • radicchio di Chioggia
  • radicchio di Verona
  • radicchio variegato di Castelfranco

This page has some details on them
2 From the blog archives: another recipe with radicchio
3 The Harissa spice mix I use

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

cavolo verza e radicchio

or launch the cavolo verza e radicchio audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Claudia of Honey from Rock. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the placemat free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

radicchio, cabbage, side dish, stew, Italian cuisine

recipe: savoy cabbage and radicchio

| Simona

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