Spaghetti with Radicchio and Chevre

Years and years ago before I was married even, I ripped out a recipe card from my Martha Stewart Living magazine.  On it was the recipe for Spaghetti with Radicchio and Ricotta.  I had never even tried radicchio.  I didn’t even know what it was.  But the picture looked beautiful and I tucked it away in my recipe file for someday down the road.

Every so often I’ve looked at that recipe and thought, Gee I should really make this sometime soon.  And then I would tuck it away and revisit it a year or six months later when I pulled out the file again.

I was shopping for a few things at Sunflower Farmers Market one day and I was looking for fennel, and I saw a head of radicchio and it reminded me of that recipe.  (Radicchio is sometimes hard to find where I live.)

I had my favorite local goat cheese in the fridge.  (I have said this before, but I will never be a true vegan because I cannot and will not give up chevre.)   I had some GF spaghetti in the cupboard.  And now I had glorious radicchio.  I was so happy.

Shortly after I photographed my masterpiece, my little 3 year-old and I sat down to enjoy lunch together.  She had fun drinking out of a fancy glass and chattering away.  I had fun watching her pick out the radicchio that she claimed to love.  I knew she really just loved that something in her bowl was purple.  Because, after all, princesses eat purple food for lunch.  Or so I’m told.

Spaghetti with Radicchio and Chevre
adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 6

Ingredients:
12 oz. your favorite pasta (I used Heartland gluten-free spaghetti)
4-6 oz. chevre (fresh goat cheese), crumbled
1 head of radicchio, thinly sliced
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used GF)
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
a few tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
salt and pepper

Instructions:
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.  Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water to use in the sauce.  (You might not need it all.)

While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until golden.  Add the bread crumbs and toast for a few more minutes.  Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl until ready to use.

Transfer the drained, hot pasta to a large bowl.  Add the crumbled chevre and gently toss to melt the cheese, adding the reserved pasta water until you have a good sauce consistency.  (Don’t add too much water.)  Season well with salt and pepper.  Add the thinly sliced radicchio and gently toss to coat in the sauce.

If serving family style, transfer the pasta to a large serving platter or bowl and top with minced parsley and toasted bread crumbs.  If serving individually, pass the bread crumbs and parsley separately.