A couple of weeks ago I found this amazing pasta “la lingua della suocera” Zebra and now I have to share this recipe with you. In Germany, you can buy the pasta at a shop called “TK Maxx” which usually sells lots of clothes. But they also have a small section of food. Already the name of the pasta is very special; in English, it would be called “mother in law’s tongue”. Hehehe, funny and weird at the same time.
I’ve seen this kind of pasta before, but only the colourful one. The one that I found has black and white stripes. That’s why it’s also called “Zebra”. I find this pasta so very chic.
It’s an artisan and handmade pasta by Casa Marella. No artificial colours were used; in this case, the black colour is actually the squid’s ink. This pasta is an art; an art on the plate, a decoration on the table.
Ingredients for 3-4 portions of pasta “la lingua della suocera” Zebra:
- 250 g pasta “la lingua della suocera” Zebra
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1-2 Tbsp of sunflower seeds
- 3-4 handfuls of Savoy cabbage
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
This pasta is perfect for a white or red sauce, but I decided the best would be a green cabbage pesto. “La lingua della suocera” has deep and decorative ridges, consequently, it’s perfect to hold sauces like pesto. So, let’s prepare the pesto. Wash the cabbage and maybe cut off the hard stems. Then put the cabbage leaves, garlic, sunflower seeds, a pinch of salt and some olive oil in a food processor. Blend it until you get an almost smooth consistency. Why almost? I always stop the blender a little before, in order to get the pesto a little grainy.
In a deep pot boil some water. Then add two pinches of salt and the pasta. “La lingua della suocera” is about 40 cm long, but it will fit in your pot with no problem (like spaghetti). I wouldn’t break it in half. It would be just a waste of beauty.
Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes. Then drain it, but don’t rinse it and you are ready to serve. The great thing is, that it doesn’t change the shape or lose the colour with cooking. Amazing!
Finally, serve the pasta “la lingua della suocera” Zebra on a single-coloured plate (I used white) and top it with a couple of spoons of cabbage pesto.
Enjoy!
