Pink pasta salad with balsamic beetroot

For 4 people:

500g       pasta (penne or farfalle)
150g       feta cheese
150 ml  dark balsamic vinegar
50 ml     good olive oil (or walnut oil)
10           leaves of basil
1              cucumber
1              big beetroot (raw)
2              tomatoes
1              bunch of spring onions
2              cloves of garlic
1              tablespoon honey
1              green chili
Salt and black pepper

1. Cook the pasta until it is aldente and let it cool down, meanwhile you can prepare the other ingredients.

2. For the balsamic beetroot peel the beetroot and cut it into small cubes (0,5cm) and slice one of the garlic cloves finely. Heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan and add the beetroot. Roast it for 5 minutes while stirring, then add garlic and roast for another minute. Deglaze with 100 ml balsamic vinegar, add the honey and bring briefly to the boil before adding 50ml water. Reduce the mixture for about 15 minutes; stir from time to time.

3. While reducing the beetroot-balsamic mix, cut the cucumber and tomatoes in  bite sized cubes and slice the spring onions into thin rings. Chop the garlic, chili and basil finely and crumble the feta cheese.

4. When the balsamic reduced and the beetroot softened, remove it from the pan and put it into a big salad bowl. For the dressing mix the rest of the balsamic vinegar with salt, pepper, garlic and a pinch of sugar. Then add the olive oil while stirring and give the dressing to the beetroot in the bowl. Add the pasta, spring onions, tomato and cucumber and mix well. Afterwards add the chili, basil and feta and stir again well.

The pasta has a great pink color which you can underline by decorating the pasta on the plates with basil and a few feta crumbs. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with crispy mushrooms and radicchio

A delicious pasta dish for spring time

For 4 people:

1             large radicchio salad (or 2 small ones)
500g     spaghetti
250g     button mushrooms (chanterelle also fits great with it)
150g     feta cheese
2             cloves of garlic
1             red chili
1/2        bunch of parsley
2            tablespoon good olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper

1. Bring two liters of water to the boil in a large pot. Clean the mushrooms using a paper towel (if you clean them with water they get too soft) and cut them into quarters; slice chili and garlic finely.

2. Heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan (or wok). Add mushrooms, one teaspoon salt and chili into the pan and roast it for 5 minutes. It’s important to keep the heat very high and stir constantly, otherwise the mushrooms dont get crispy. After 4 minutes add the garlic, which will burn if you add it before.

3. When the water is boiling add the spaghettis and cook until aldente. Meanwhile remove the outside leaves of the salad, cut it in half and slice into stripes (1cm).  Clean the parsley with water and chop it finely. Crumble the feta cheese in little pieces using your fingers.

4. When the spaghettis are done, drain the pasta and put it into the pan with the mushrooms. Add a tablespoon olive oil, radicchio, feta and half of the parsley and mix well. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Use the rest of the chopped parsley to decorate the plates. Enjoy!