Wild garlic fettuccine pasta with speck and radicchio (Italian chicory)

5 from 8 votes

Wild garlic fettuccine pasta with speck and radicchio (Italian chicory)

This pasta with speck and radicchio is a wonderful combination of Northern Italian flavours. It's quick and easy to make and bound to be loved by all the family!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Northern Italy, Veneto

Keyword: Wild garlic pasta

Servings:

Calories: 774kcal

Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

350 g fettuccine or tagliatelle, pappardelle or penne
100 g speck or pancetta cut into small cubes or strips
1-2 red radicchio (Italian chicory)
1 small white onion
½ glass of white wine
100 ml heavy cream (or italian cooking cream)
50 g parmesan grated
salt for pasta and to taste
black pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 handful walnut pieces

Instructions

Wash and shred the radicchio (soak leaves in water for 20 minutes before shredding if you want to reduce the bitterness) Finely chop the onion and cut the speck into cubes or short strips.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet and add the onion and ⅔ of the speck. Sauté for a couple of minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
Add the shredded radicchio and a pinch of salt. Cover and let cook on a low flame for about 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
Fry the rest of the speck in a small frying pan with a dash of olive oil until it becomes crispy.
Pour the white wine into the pan with the radicchio, turn up the heat and cook until the alcohol has evaporated.
Add the cream to the radicchio, stir and simmer on a low heat for another couple of minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. (don't be too generous with the salt as speck tends to be a little salty)
Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Once the pasta is cooked, save a cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce. Add some of the pasta cooking water if the sauce seems dry. Mix the pasta and sauce together well.
Serve with a sprinkling of crispy speck, walnuts (optional) and grated Parmesan.

Notes

This recipe can be made with pancetta instead of speck and other types of pasta ribbons such as tagliatelle or pappardelle. You can also use short pasta such as penne.

Nutrition