When I was growing up, this was the dish I would ask my mom to make (birthday meals, special occasions, etc). One wouldn't imagine that combining cabbage and pasta would be anything special but ... it is. You can definitely make this with any pasta; it doesn't have to be the homemade version included here. Any shape would do, but especially flatter shapes or anything with big holes to catch and hold the cabbage work especially well (e.g. bowtie, egg ribbons or mini lasagna noodles).
When browning the cabbage, please take your time and get it nicely browned. The deeper brown, the better the flavor. And be sure to finish it with a lot of freshly ground pepper.
Kaposztas Teszta (Pasta with Cabbage, Hungarian-style)
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Pasta
3 c all-purpose flour, plus more
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cabbage
3 tbsp.olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
2 tsp bouillon (chicken)
2 medium sized green cabbages, cored, and roughly chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Make the pasta dough
In a large bowl, stir the flour with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, the eggs, and 2 tablespoons water until a stiff dough forms. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead until smooth, about 6 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Unwrap the dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough until 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into 2-by-1-inch squares, transfer to a flour-dusted baking sheet, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the cabbage
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until the the onion is lightly browned about 15 minutes. Add the bouillon, stir to combine. Start adding the cabbage, 1/3 at a time, and cooking 5 minutes with the top on the pan until wilted and reduced, before adding next batch of cabbage. Continue cooking, up to 30 minutes until the cabbage is lightly browned and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the dish
When ready to finish, bring a large saucepan of salted water to boiling; once rapidly boiling, add the pasta and cook, stirring, until al dente, about 5 to 10 minutes (depends on the thickness of the pasta dough pieces). Drain the pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water, and add to the cabbage along with the cooking water.
Cook the pasta and cabbage, stirring, until combined, about 1 minute. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, and serve while hot with additional freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!