The radish leaf pesto is a pasta sauce to be prepared fresh with the freshest leaves. A quick and tasty #nowaste recipe. A great way to use up fresh and nutrient-rich vegetables, utilizing leftovers.
SEASONALITY of #radishes – from April to early November. They are generally not available in the hottest months.
#nuts #peanuts #almonds #walnuts #hazelnuts #pine_nuts #pistachios – available all year round
RECIPES with radish leaves
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Spring, Fall
- Energy 83.23 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 1.76 (g) of which sugars 0.71 (g)
- Proteins 3.75 (g)
- Fat 7.12 (g) of which saturated 2.00 (g)of which unsaturated 2.98 (g)
- Fibers 1.05 (g)
- Sodium 261.18 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Radish Leaf Pesto
- 3.5 oz radish leaves (or ramolaccio or daikon – very fresh leaves)
- 0.7 oz almonds (or other mixed nuts: peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios…)
- 1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (or Pecorino Romano)
- 0.35 oz extra virgin olive oil
- garlic (optional)
- 1 leaf mint (optional)
- lemon juice (optional)
- chili powder (optional)
- to taste salt
- to taste water (from cooking the leaves)
Tools
- Food Processor
Radish Leaf Pesto
First, select the nicest and tenderest radish leaves and wash them thoroughly.
For a more intense flavored pesto, you can use the tenderest leaves of raw radishes.
If the leaves are tough: bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the radish leaves and blanch for a few minutes (about two). Remove them from the water and let them cool.
Place the preferred nuts, cheese, and selected flavors in the food processor and blend everything, then add the radish leaves (raw or boiled) and the extra virgin olive oil and continue to blend. Based on your taste, add more oil or pasta cooking water to achieve the right pesto consistency.
Boil the pasta in the leaf cooking water, drain it al dente, and dress it with radish leaf pesto
OR
you can use well-diluted radish leaf pesto to dress a salad or the radishes themselves.
IDEAS – RECIPES to use radish leaves
In general, radish leaves can be used like spinach or ALSO
– boiled, they can be chopped and added to a frittata
– you can prepare a risotto, first make an onion sauté and add the chopped leaves, then allow them to flavor for a few minutes before adding the rice
– with the leaves, you can make delicious fritters, wrapping them in batter and frying them spoonfuls in hot oil.
