In Radish Season
Published: 2016-04-15Tags: готвени репички, паста с репички, спагети с репички, цели репички, листа от репички, Репички, от лехата до устата
Translation
This is a translation of a Bulgarian-language post. It conveys the content faithfully but is not the author's original English writing.
In my opinion, in Bulgaria we have given radishes a very boring fate. If not for the odd green salad, we probably would not even glance at them.
The truth, however, is that they — like most root vegetables — are just as tasty cooked. And besides — stop throwing away their leaves! They have a wonderful peppery taste and are highly nutritious and beneficial.
This simple recipe uses the whole radishes (leaves and all), and the nice thing is that it is endlessly adaptable — depending on what vegetables you have around. Perhaps diced peppers, carrots or leek, for example, instead of the peas.
Pasta with whole radishes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 bunch of radishes with fresh-looking leaves (still attached)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 packet spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine or other pasta
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnish (optional):
- A bunch of whole radishes, with their leaves, washed and cleaned and halved lengthwise
- Oil, olive oil, or fat of your choice
- Hot red pepper (flakes)
- Freshly grated Parmesan or cheese of your choice
Instructions:
Cut the first bunch of radishes into pieces and roughly chop their leaves. Set them aside.
Put salted water in a suitable pot to boil. When it starts to boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
At the same time, put the butter and olive oil in a pan or wok, followed by the onion. Sauté the onion for a minute or two, then add the garlic and the radish pieces. (Do not add the halved radishes with the leaves yet.)
Sauté the onion-garlic-radish mixture for a few minutes, until the radishes soften. Stir in the peas and the chopped radish leaves for another minute or two.
Add the drained pasta, along with about a tablespoon of the water it boiled in, to the pan with the sautéed vegetables. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir everything and keep the pan warm while you prepare the garnish.
For it, heat the oil over high heat in a heavy-bottomed pan, such as a cast-iron skillet. Add the halved whole radishes and fry them for about 2 minutes, then carefully turn them and fry for another 2 minutes on the other side, until the radishes are golden brown and crispy. Their leaves will be extremely brittle — that is what you want. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to absorb the fat.
Tip the spaghetti into the serving dish, and quickly arrange the fried radishes on top. Serve the hot pepper and the grated cheese in separate little bowls, so each person can sprinkle to his or her own taste.
Bon appétit!
