Radish Leaf Farfalle

At dinner time, I'm often confronted with the challenge of needing to make dinner from odds and ends in the fridge and pantry. I keep my pantry well stocked to increase my odds of making something edible. The following recipe is an example of a week night dinner I made recently and could be interpreted a zillion different ways based on what you have available. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6

Ingredients

• 16  ounces farfalle pasta
• 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans (or the legumes of your choice)
• 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (2 ounce) can anchovies
• 4  garlic cloves, diced
• 1  teaspoon red chili pepper
• 1  teaspoon rosemary
• 3  cups radish tops, julienned (leaves)
• 1  onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1  lemon (or 2 if you especially like lemons)
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese (or pecorino)
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Cook the farfalle to al dente according to package instructions.
2. While the water is coming to a boil and the farfalle is cooking, prep the rest of your ingredients (dice the garlic, slice the onion, julienne the radish leaves, zest the lemon, juice the lemon, grate the cheese) and keep separate.
3. Drain the can of beans into a medium or large colander. When the pasta is cooked through, pour the hot pasta water and the pasta into the colander. (Rinsing the beans, warming them through, and draining the pasta in one shot).
4. In the now empty, hot pasta cooking pot, add the olive oil and the anchovies. Cook on medium, breaking up the anchovies until they dissolve and become integrated in the oil. Add the garlic, chili pepper, and rosemary and saute until the garlic begins to be a little golden (but not burned!) and is fragrant. Turn off the stove burner.
5. Add the pasta and beans, radish leaves, onion, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix well to combine. Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust as necessary.
6. Serve with grated cheese.