Mardi Gras mambo pasta

As the pre-Mardi Gras season heats up and Meatless Monday was upon me, I found myself inspired by a purple cabbage and some Brussels sprouts in my fridge. As you may know, Mardi Gras colors are green, purple and gold, and if I added some lemon zest to the cabbage and sprouts, well, laissez les bon temps rouler.   

I slow-braised the Brassica* -sliced cabbage and slivered sprouts- in olive oil with sliced garlic, salt, crushed red pepper and lemon zest. I later added some of the pasta cooking water, ground white pepper, lemon juice and some fresh ricotta. We grated Parm over the top and quite enjoyed this meal.

*Brassica, aka cruciferous veggies or cole crops, is the genus that includes cabbages, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and so forth.