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Cavolo Nero "Fettuccine" with Morel Cream Sauce

A gluten-free fettucine-style dish, using cavolo nero (Lacinato kale) ribbons instead of pasta.

by M. Schneider

(dynamic)

Morchella eximia. © Warren Cardimona (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 163545269)

Method

Prep the Morels

  1. Rehydrate dried morels in 2 cups of simmering water until soft and plump (about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size of morels.)

  2. Lift morels out and cool til touchable.

  3. Pat dry, and chop into small ¼" pieces.

  4. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine strainer into a bowl or jar to remove grit, and reserve ½ cup of the strained liquid for the sauce. (Feel free to use any remaining strained liquid to flavor other sauces or stocks.)


Make the Kale Ribbons

  1. Strip the leaves of the cavolo nero from the stems (or cut out the stems in a "V" shape). (Optionally, save the stems for a future vegetable stock.)

  2. Roll up 4 or 5 leaves tightly into a cylinder, then slice crosswise at 3 to 4 mm intervals to create faux tagliatelle (or fettuccine) strands (as if you're making a chiffonade).

  3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.

  4. Prepare an ice bath nearby.

  5. Blanch the sliced kale briefly in the boiling water (30–45 seconds) until bright green, then immediately shock it (plunge into the ice bath). Drain thoroughly, pat dry, and reserve aside.


Prepare the Sauce

  1. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.

  2. Add the minced garlic, chili flakes, and thyme sprig, cooking for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

  3. Add the chopped morels to the pan and sauté for about 2 minutes.

  4. Pour in the dry vermouth and simmer the sauce until reduced by half and the morels are soft (about 2 minutes).

  5. Pour in the reserved ½ cup of morel soaking liquid and let the sauce simmer down until rich and slightly thickened (6 to 8 minutes).


Assemble and Serve

  1. Stir the heavy cream into the sauce and let it bubble gently for 1 minute.

  2. Add the blanched kale tagliatelle to the pan, and stir and simmer continuously for about a minute until the kale is hot again and it is coated/infused with the sauce.

  3. Remove from heat, discard the thyme sprig, and stir in a splash of fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Serve immediately, topped with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe contributed:

November

2013

In a conversation in our FFSC Google Group, Jeff Broadbent, Keith Bontrager, and others were sharing ideas for ways to prepare dried morels and leafy greens.


Keith conjured up a fettuccine-style dish, and shared it with the group. The recipe below is adapted from Keith's recipe.


If you want to include this as part of a main dish, perhaps serve it under or alongside grilled chicken, seared scallops, white fish, or crispy pancetta lardons; or over a bed of polenta.


(Jeff and his wife came up with Morel-Stuffed Chard Rolls in a Caramelized Onion & Vermouth Cream Sauce).

Objective:

Side or first course

Total Time:

About 45 minutes

Yield:

4 to 6 servings

Suggested Mushrooms:

  • Morel (Morchella sp.)

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Ingredients

Cavolo Nero Ribbons

2 large bunches cavolo nero (Lacinato kale)

Kosher salt (for blanching water)

Large bowl of ice water


Morel Cream Sauce

1 oz. dried morels

2 cups water (for rehydrating)

3 tbsp. unsalted butter (or 2 tbsp. butter + 1 tbsp. olive oil)

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp. dried red chili flakes (adjust to taste)

2 sprigs fresh thyme

⅓ cup dry vermouth (or dry white wine)

½ cup heavy cream

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (from ½ lemon)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (garnish)

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