Recipes
April 2010 Recipe of the Month
contributed by Alex Villegas
With winter winding down, the colors and foods of spring are becoming more prevalent at all farmers markets. Easter egg radishes are stepping out on the scene… and boy are these little beauties pleasing to the eye! I’ve always eaten radishes as a snack, but I’ve never experimented using them in a meal. I was finally able to bring a bunch home from the market and put their peppery flavor to the test. I think it’s pretty obvious how these radishes got their name.
This is an easy way to introduce radishes to your dinner plate. They add a nice splash of red and their flavors weave very nicely with simple pasta.
Spinach Linguine and Easter Egg Radishes
(Serves 4 small dishes or 3 main courses)
Ingredients
3 small bunches of spinach linguine or other pasta you have on hand (O.B. People's)
4-5 C chopped spinach (J.R. Organics)
3 C sliced cremini mushrooms
1 C Easter egg radishes (Suzie's Farm)
2 C cooked Canellini beans (or one 15 oz. can)
chopped fresh parsley (J.R. Organics)
some olive oilDressing Ingredients
1/3 C lemon juice
1/4 (scant) C olive oil
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
lemon zest
salt & pepper
Directions
1. Before you begin to cook ingredients, whisk together all the dressing ingredients and place in the fridge so the flavors can set.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan on a medium/high setting (like a 5 or 6). Add garlic and sautee for about 2 minutes.. but don’t let garlic burn! Also, in congruence with heating the pan, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
3. Add the radishes and let cook until semi-soft. Lower the heat to a 4 or 5.
4. Add the mushrooms and cook with ingredients in pan until they are all tender. About 5 minutes.
5. While mushrooms and radishes are getting nice and cozy in the pan, add your pasta to the water that has reached a rolling boil and cook accordingly. My linguine was al dente after about 15 minutes. Once cooked, drain and set aside. It will be added to the mix soon so make sure it’s near the stove… where all the action is!
6. Add the dressing and beans. Mix until everything is well coated…
7. Finally, add the spinach and linguine. I like adding both last because 1) I don’t like my spinach super wilty; I like it heated just enough so it has a small crunch and 2) because the linguine is already cooked, at this point you just want to heat it up, not overcook it. Toss everything together. I like using some tongs because it makes this part easier.
8. Serve warm, and top with some extra chopped fresh parsley and lemon zest.
Buen provecho! And always, be sure to thank your local farmer!
You can find more recipes at Alex’s blog.
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