Spaghetti with radish greens pesto

There is a mountain resort village in Lebanon where people go in the wintertime to ski. I was there one summer  as a guest of my dad’s favorite cousin, Tante Marcelle. I owe her my life, in fact, because she is the one who introduced my mom to my dad.

So, Tante Marcelle, who had been raised in Marseille, France, made this spaghetti , with greens  from the garden and Lebanese pine nuts from the pine trees nearby. I still remember the delight I felt when I tasted this dish. It was a hot and dry summer and it was  the perfect thing to eat.

It is hot these days in Dallas, and I wanted this same dish.

Is that what food is about? (to relive memories?)

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces of spaghetti
• 2 ounces of radish greens (can replace with arugula)
• 2 ounces of pine nuts
• 4 ounces of olive oil
• 4 ounces of feta cheese
• 2 ounces of grated parmesan cheese
• salt, to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, mashed with a pinch of salt

METHOD:

1. Clean the radishes thoroughly; it will take several changes of water for the greens to lose all their dirt; chop the greens coarsely and set aside.
2. In a food processor bowl, place the pine nuts (or almonds) and the mashed garlic; process until the nuts are chopped fine and add the radish greens; process and add the olive oil gradually until the mixture is pasty; add the cheese at the end; taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Cook  the spaghetti and toss with the sauce. Serve.

Recipe for the radish greens pesto adapted from C’est Moi Qui l’ait Fait.