As the weather gets warmer, it seems we shy away from enjoying pasta for dinner. I actually love pasta any time of the year, but when the weather is heating up, I prefer a pasta with a sauce that isn’t a red sauce.

For this dish I sautéed two heads of radicchio in olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Once the radicchio cooked down, I added 5 cloves of minced garlic and the juice of 2 navel oranges, 2 lemons and 2 limes and 1 cup of Pinot Grigio wine. I also added 1/4 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese, stirred that into the sauce and let the flavors meld together while my spaghetti was cooking.

As the sauce was simmering, I minced fresh oregano, fresh thyme and flat leaf parsley to add once the spaghetti was done cooking.

When the spaghetti was done, I added the noodles into the sauce. (I did not drain the noodles, I transferred them with a spider into the skillet.) I wanted to ensure that I would have the pasta water available should I need to add any to the sauce. As it turns out, I did not need to add any of the pasta water. I always transfer noodles directly into the skillet where I am cooking the sauce without draining them.

Once the noodles were in the skillet with the sauce, I added the fresh herbs and 1 additional cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

I stirred everything together and topped the pasta with fresh basil and a sprinkling of grated cheese before serving.

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti noodles

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup pinot grigio wine

juice of 2 navel oranges

juice of 2 lemons

juice of 2 limes

2 heads of radicchio, sliced into strips

1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, minced

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

fresh basil for serving

1-1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

5 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti per instructions on package.
2. Heat olive oil. Add raddichio, kosher salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Sauté until raddichio cooks down, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 45 seconds.
3. Add juice of citrus and white wine. Let simmer 10-15 minutes.
4. Add cooked noodles to the skillet, along with the fresh herbs and 1 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Mix well so all noodles are covered with the sauce and cheese.
5. Add fresh basil.
6. When serving, add a little more grated cheese if you prefer.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris