french radishes

so beautiful! i've been eating them dipped into a broad bean and yoghurt puree.

linguine with crunchy radish, celery and olive salsa

i’ve been trying to think of ways to describe this dish to make it sound even slightly appealing and, while i’m not convinced i’ve succeeded, i hope the above name is better than my previous attempt of linguine with raw leftovers!

it came about because i was looking for something quick and easy, packed with flavour and containing a generous dose of carbs to counter a killer hangover. while the pasta cooked i assembled a mix of finely chopped crunchy veggies plus garlic, chilli and lemon zest for flavour. i added basil and olive oil to finish it off but it wasn’t great so i stirred in a spoonful of the green olive & pistachio tapenade i bought in new york earlier this year, plus some shredded rocket, watercress and parsley for a peppery kick.

this really worked - the combination of full-on flavours (the tapenade, garlic and chilli really zing) and crispy crunchy vegetables worked incredibly well. this is much more fun than the very dull pasta n pesto or spaghetti with garlic and chilli which it is so easy to fall back on when you have no energy – give it a try. and if you vary ingredients, let me know what combinations work for you.

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asian fennel

 

fennel is a long-standing favourite vegetable of mine, it wasn’t something that i ate when i was growing up – i don’t think we could get it in malawi – and i’m not sure when or why i tried it but now it’s something i instinctively reach for when i’m at the market.

raw fennel in salads is a particular favourite and yet it’s something i often forget about. my default approach involves lemon juice, olive oil and garlic but this simple salad with its zingy asian flavours made a nice change.

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