A radish exploration from Heather Forsyth
I've never been much of a radish fan, but when you get lemons, you make lemonade, and when your farmer gives you fresh radishes, you don't say ick you figure out how to enjoy them. And after trying them several ways, I found that I did! There's more than one kind of radish, of course, but what I got are called french breakfast radishes. So that's what I did with them first. This is not a recipe, nor is it my invention -- it's how to eat a radish in the simplest and purest way. You must use fresh, crisp radishes. Don't bother with old ones, they'll be limp and taste bitter.
Radishes with bread, butter and salt
The picture says it all. I cut a piece of baguette lengthwise into 4-5 thin slices, toasted them lightly, spread with a little butter, topped with thinly sliced radishes, and sprinkled with coarse sea salt. It goes without saying that this is as good as the bread, butter and radishes you use.
Radish and Arugula Salad
The same farmer that gave me radishes also gave me fresh arugula and eggs. Presto, a salad is born. This is nothing more than fresh arugula, thinly sliced radishes, and the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, dressed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. This is a recipe in less is more.
Savory Cheesecake with Radishes
This is a two-layer appetizer with a rich, dense cheese base topped with crisp, spicy radishes and chopped parsley. Served with rye crackers, it is a tasty starter for 2 to 4. I used an 8 oz. ramekin for baking, but any small, shallow oven-safe dish will do.
Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese (you could probably use soft goat cheese with good results, as well)
1 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1 egg
generous pinch of cayenne pepper
a couple of radishes, thinly sliced
chopped parsley
Directions:
- Blend first 4 ingredients in food processor until smooth.
- Pour into buttered dish and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. The key is not to overcook it. It should be barely brown and still a bit jiggly on top.
- Cool enough to handle, unmold onto serving plate, and chill for about 2 hours.
- Top with sliced radishes and chopped parsley.
Radish Slaw
No real recipe here. I cut some green cabbage into ribbons, added grated radishes, then topped with a dressing made of mayo, thinned with a little lemon juice, and seasoned with a drop or two of toasted sesame oil. The combo of sharp radish with mellow sesame oil was a pleasure and really gave this salad a kick. I could also imagine a sprinkle of black sesame seeds to give both a visual and nutritional boost.
So next time you're at the farmers market, go ahead and get some of those fresh radishes and try one of these ideas, or invent your own. My husband suggested slicing them and frying them like potato chips -- I wasn't brave enough to try it, but you might be.
Helen Kenney
