Guanciale with cabbage, white beans, rosemary and parsley

A classic combination, this is a handy little recipe as it has the heartiness of white beans, yet the zest and the bite of the cabbage freshen it up nicely as a spring dish. A very good side dish but also good for breakfast with an egg.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• olive oil, for cooking and drizzling
• 60 g guanciale, sliced into short slices
• 1 brown onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp rosemary leaves
• river salt and black pepper
• 200 g white or savoy cabbage, sliced
• 40 ml cider vinegar
• 240 g cooked white beans
• 20 g butter
• 100 ml chicken stock
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

In a large shallow pan, place a good splash of oil and the guanciale. Place on a medium heat and cook slowly, stirring for about 5 minutes or until the guanciale starts sizzling.

Add the onion, garlic and rosemary, season and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so. You want to cook it until the onion has softened and started to caramelise.

At this stage, add the cabbage and give it a good stir so it becomes coated in the lovely fats that are in the pan before adding the vinegar.

Next it’s time for the white beans, some butter for flavour and the stock. Add all of these, gently stir and leave the mix to simmer away for another 10 minutes or so.

Have a taste – the cabbage should still have a little bite but the flavours should all be mingled nicely. Check the seasoning and stir through the chopped parsley. Drizzle with a little oil and serve.

Note
• Guanciale could possibly be hard to find; if you are having trouble, pancetta is a good substitute.

Photography by Benito Martin
Styling by Jerrie-Joy Redman-Lloyd
Bowl from Mud Australia
Fabric (used as curtain) from Radford

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.