If you’ve never cooked with radishes before (they’re also wonderful roasted and braised), here’s a great opportunity to give it a try. They become soft and sweet and bear no resemblance to their biting flavour when eaten raw. Use any seasonal greens or vegetables in this recipe, such as dandelion greens or nettles, and fresh green peas or snow peas (just throw them into the water while the pasta is cooking). For extra protein, add a can or two of crumbled, drained tuna.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pappardelle or fettuccine (preferably egg-based)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tbsp oil from jar of olive-oil-packed sundried tomatoes
- 10 radishes or hakurei turnips, trimmed and sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sundried tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup whipping (35%) cream or coconut milk
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grano Padano cheese
- 4 cups baby spinach
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pappardelle, return the water to a boil, and cook the pasta until it is almost al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water; drain.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and sundried-tomato oil. Stir in the radishes and cook, stirring occasionally until very lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sundried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the cream, 1/2-cup of the cheese, the spinach, the drained pasta, and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss well and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente and the spinach is wilted, adding more pasta cooking water as needed if the pasta is too dry. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Makes 4 servings
