From the menu of … di Paolo, 8560 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta; 770-587-1051; www.dipaolorestaurant.com
Q. Di Paolo always has unique and delicious sides that accompany the meats and seafood on their entrees. My very favorite is the Cabbage Carbonara on the winter menu. Please see if they would be willing to share the recipe. Thank you.
Jack Wilson, Dunwoody
A. Chef Darin Hiebel and his wife Susan Tucker have operated di Paolo five years, featuring dishes from the Piedmont area of Italy where Italian and French flavors blend so beautifully.
Hiebel sent us the Cabbage Carbonara recipe with these notes. “My grandmother was of German descent, so she was always using cabbage with beef and pork. I was looking for a side that could provide the vegetable and the sauce at the same time. Since Northern Italy uses a lot of dairy, I thought cream would be the perfect match. I think our guests like it so much because it is simple, but cabbage, pork and cream go so well together.”
The cabbage is usually served with a veal chop, but Hiebel suggests it marries well with pork loin, pork tenderloin or even monkfish. If you’d like an even richer sauce, stir in two beaten egg yolks after the cabbage has cooked and the cream has thickened. Stir until eggs are cooked, about 2 minutes, then season to taste.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of restaurant in the subject line.
di Paolo’s Cabbage “Carbonara”
Hands on: 25 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
1 cup 1/4-inch diced pancetta
1 small head green cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped chives
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook pancetta until the fat is rendered and the meat is crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not clean skillet.
Stir in cabbage and toss until all cabbage is coated with pork fat. Add cream, reduce heat to medium and cook just until cabbage still has a slight crunch and the cream has thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Keep warm. When ready to serve, add reserved pancetta and sprinkle with chives.
Per serving: 352 calories (percent of calories from fat, 82), 12 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 33 grams fat (19 grams saturated), 135 milligrams cholesterol, 1,407 milligrams sodium.
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