The dastardly Daikon
Thursday, September 20, 2007
No, I didn’t spend the day slaving away in my kitchen to make handmade pasta. This is the ‘something new’ with Daikon radish I alluded to in my CSA report. Yes, those noodles are really ribbons of radish!
Was the experiment a success? It depends on who you ask. I thought it was really good - an unusual taste combination, but light-tasting and yummy. My husband was not as delighted. That’s really not very shocking, though. He’s a lovely person, but not very adventurous when it comes to eating and trying new things. If it looks like pasta, it should taste like pasta. The Daikon most certainly does not. The homemade pasta sauce is very comforting and familiar, and the radish is crisp and slightly bitter.
I am not an evil genius who dreamt this up on my own - we have Iron Chef Morimoto to thank. While searching for something interesting to do with my latest batch of locally-grown Daikon, I came across his recipe for Daikon Fettucine with Tomato-Basil Sauce. I monkeyed around slightly with the recipe, and here is what I made:
1 pound diakon
About two cups of crushed tomatoes with juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper
- Trim the daikon of its outer skin and then use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to cut fine strips of daikon into ribbon-like slices. Soak the daikon in water for about 15 minutes and then drain and dry on a towel.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Saute onion and garlic for about five minutes. Stir in tomatoes and juice, and a bit of salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until sauce gets thickened. Stir in basil, salt, and pepper.
- Add daikon to skillet and gently combine with sauce. Cook for about one minute until heated through.
What’s even better than learning something new to do with Daikon radish? Being able to use all locally grown ingredients in the recipe, with the exception of the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
