Radishes, Leaves and All

We're in the midst of radish season (though it seems like they're plentiful all summer long...am I right?). Last Saturday I picked up a beautiful bunch at the wonderful little farmers market on 57th and 9th. The poor little guys hung out in my fridge all week, but finally, last night, I turned my attention to them. I absolutely love sautéed radishes, so I decided to make a pasta inspired by two other recipes: Chocolate and Zucchini's radish leaf pesto and a recipe I'd seen in Gourmet back in 2001.

I decided to make a plain radish leaf purée (figuring I'd experiment with different uses), so I combined the raw radish leaves (about 4 cups worth, lightly packed) with 3/4 olive oil in a blender (the blender didn't work so well, but eventually got the job done). I ended up with a cup or so of the slightly spicy, fresh-tasting mixture, and will report back when I've played a little more.

Simple Fusilli with Sautéed Radishes and Radish Pesto
(for 1 as a meal, 2 as a side)

•1 c. dry fusilli pasta
•4 to 6 large radishes, cleaned and cut into chunks
•1 tsp. olive oil
•salt and black pepper to taste
•1 tbsp. radish leaf pesto
•freshly-grated Parmesan

Boil the fusilli in salted boiling water (as per the directions on the box). Meanwhile, sauté the radishes in the olive oil, salt, and pepper for about two minutes (or until fork-tender). Remove from heat until pasta is cooked.

Drain pasta and toss with radishes, pesto, and Parmesan.

Note: I wanted to keep this as simple as possible so I could experience the "true" taste of the radishes, but next time I do this I think I'll add garlic or shallots for a bit of extra flavor...