The April 2013 issue of Food and Wine contained several recipes from Mario Batali, including this fettuccine. Batali’s tomato sauce is an excellent all-purpose sauce and can be made ahead. The cabbage adds flavour and texture—and you can use the same pot of boiling water to cook both the cabbage and the pasta.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

If you are making the tomato sauce, look for a brand of tomatoes with no additives, such as PC Blue Menu or Unico. It is becoming easier to find sausages with all-natural ingredients and casings. Check the label on the cheese to be sure it does not contain colour.

Onion, carrot and garlic flavour Batali's tomato sauce

You can make the tomato sauce ahead

Blanch the cabbage until just tender

The sauce includes onion, sausage and the cabbage

Cook the fettuccine in the same boiling water you used for the cabbage and add to the sauce

Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano cheese and serve

Ingredients:

Batali’s Essential Tomato Sauce

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¼ cup finely shredded carrot

1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme

Two 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, crushed

Kosher salt

Fettuccine with Spicy Sausage and Cabbage Ribbons

1 pound green cabbage (½ medium head), cut into ½-inch-wide ribbons

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

Kosher salt

1 pound spicy Italian sausage—casings discarded, meat crumbled

2 cups Batali’s Essential Tomato Sauce or jarred tomato sauce

1 pound fettuccine

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

Preparation:

Batali’s Essential Tomato Sauce

In a saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened and just starting to brown, 10 minutes. Add the carrot and thyme and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring, until thickened and reduced to 5 cups, 30 minutes. Season with salt. The tomato sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Fettuccine with Spicy Sausage and Cabbage Ribbons

In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch the cabbage until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cabbage to a colander. Cool the cabbage under running water and drain well.

In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt; cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 7 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until no pink remains, 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cabbage.

Cover and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring, until the cabbage is tender, 15 minutes.

Return the cabbage cooking water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until just barely al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the cabbage sauce. Cook over moderate heat, tossing, until the pasta is coated and al dente, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pasta to shallow bowls, sprinkle cheese on top and serve. Serves 6.

From the April 2013 issue of Food and Wine