Winter’s coming with a vengeance here in Quebec. There have been days of snow off and on; soon enough it will be the kind of cold where the precipitation really sticks. I suppose now is the time to file away all my summer and autumn recipes that don’t quite fit the bill.

I think this recipe just barely made it. It starts off with you slowly browning some butter with garlic and sage (the only herb left in my garden that hasn’t succumbed to the cold) which, in turn, makes your house smell awesome. In fact, if you’re like me, that smell makes you think, “Dammit, I should have put that bread together to go with this.” Because a fresh baked loaf of bread would be fantastic with this…as well as a very buttery white wine.

I know it sounds indulgent, what with all the cheeses AND the butter, but actually compared with the potato and cabbage in it, it’s not as bad as you feared. It hits all the right notes: crispy, crunchy, melty, hearty. It’s one of the few dishes I’ve made recently that feels like winter. I may have to put this one in the “make again” files.

We’re having the leftovers for dinner tonight. I can only imagine how good it will taste a second time.

Pizzoccheri

1 stick butter (1/2 lb.)

4 fresh sage leaves

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

1 medium potato, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small head Savoy cabbage, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/2 lb. flat, broad buckwheat noodles (pizzoccheri) or whole wheat noodles

1 cup Fontina Val d’Aosta (or other good semisoft) cheese, grated

1 cup Parmesan, grated

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups homemade bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter with sage and garlic until butter turns nut-brown; be careful not to burn sage leaves. Set aside.

Cook potato and cabbage in boiling water until they begin to soften, just 5 minutes or so. Add pasta to same pot and continue to cook until pasta is nearly done. Drain.

In a large oven-proof dish, spread a layer of vegetable-pasta combination, then a layer of grated fontina, then a layer of grated Parmesan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue this layering until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of Parmesan; ideally you will have four layers of each. Cover dish with bread crumbs and drizzle with melted butter and sage (discard garlic). Bake for about 15 minutes, or until top is golden-brown and cheese has melted. Serve hot or warm.