Radish Club Sandwich

This one is just plain fun.  Radishes (and arugula) add a pungent crunch to the more conventional layers of turkey, bacon, and provolone.  

No recipe necessary, I think?

Roasted Rosemary Radishes

The roasting process mellows sharp radishes, and makes them sweeter, while still preserving some of that great crunch.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches radishes, leaves reserved for another use, roots scrubbed and cut into 1/2" pieces
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the radishes in a bowl. Mix the garlic and olive oil, pour over the radishes, and stir to coat. Spoon radishes into a baking dish, sprinkle with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Bake until tender and slightly browned, stirring once or twice, about 30 minutes.

Served up by Tod Dimmick

Radish Fritters!

This is one of those "are you kidding me" recipes.  But try this indulgent take on the quintessential spring orb, and you'll be back for seconds.









Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  5-6 Minutes
Serves:  4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch radishes (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded)
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3-4 TB canola oil for cooking
sour cream for topping (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a food processor equipped with the shredding disk, shred the radishes.  Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, and stir in the shredded radishes, Parmesan, flour, cumin, thyme, salt, and pepper.  The mixture should cling together with the consistency of a very thick batter or a dough.  If necessary, add a little more flour.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat and scoop spoonfuls of the radish mixture into the hot oil, flattening a little with the back of your spoon.  Cook for 3 minutes, turn with a spatula, and cook for another 3 minutes, or until crisp.

Top with sour cream if you like, and enjoy this entertaining episode from the Radish Channel.

Photo & Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Root Vegetables å la créme

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick











Rich and satisfying, this dish could be an entree by itself.  In this version, I used rutabaga, celeriac, and radishes.  Many roots could shine here, although keep in mind that some will require longer (and some less) time with heat.

Prep time:  30 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Serves:  4-6

INGREDIENTS
2 cups rutabaga, peeled and chopped into 1/2" dice.
2 cups celeriac, peeled and chopped into 1/2" dice.
2 cups radishes, scrubbed and chopped into 1/2" dice.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons whole wheat or white flour
2 tablespoons cream (heavy or light, your choice)

DIRECTIONS
In a large stock pot, bring a gallon or more of water to a boil and blanch the rutabaga and celeriac for 5 minutes.  Drain, and return the vegetables to the stock pot, or a saute pan, along with the radishes, 2 tablespoons of the butter, the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 1 cup water.  Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes or until the roots are tender.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel.  Heat the milk to hot but not boiling (a few minutes in a saucepan over medium heat, or 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave).  Set aside, and melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the flower.  Cook, stirring, for a minute or two.  Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes as the sauce thickens.  Turn off the heat.

When the vegetables are done, stir in the bechamel and the cream.  Distribute to ramekins or small bowls for serving, and enjoy hot.

Roast & Saute Platter

Photo:
Tod Dimmick











This dish turns the waste-nothing approach into a somewhat dramatic vegetable dish, roasted vegetables on a bed of greens. This version uses radishes, beets, fennel, & spring onions, but substitute at will.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time:45 minutes
Serves: 4-6

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 TB balsamic vinegar
1 bunch beets, cleaned, appetizing leaves and stems reserved
1 bunch radishes, cleaned, appetizing leaves and stems reserved
1 bunch kohlrabi, peeled if necessary, cut into 1/2" chunks, appetizing leaves and stems reserved
1 fennel bulb with a good amount of stem, cleaned and cut into 1/2" chunks
Spring onions or scallions in the amount you like, cut into 1/4 inch dice.
salt and pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400. Mix the olive oil, garlic, and vinegar in a small bowl.

Chop the beets into 1/2 inch chunks, toss in a large bowl with the olive oil mixture, scoop with a slotted spoon into a large baking dish, and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the radishes, kohlrabi, Fennel, and scallions, and toss in the bowl with the remaining olive oil mixture. At the beets' 20-minute mark, scoop in the rest of the vegetables and roast for another 20 minutes, stirring a few times, or until all vegetables are tender.

While chopped vegetables are roasting, heat any remaining olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat (add a little more oil if necessary) and saute the greens until tender. Arrange greens on a platter, top with roasted roots, season to taste with salt, pepper & parmesan, and serve.

Served up by Tod Dimmick

Radish & Turnip Salad

Photo:
Tod Dimmick










There's a whole family of salads that have huge crunch and little or no green. This is one of them, bringing a nice balance of sweet and tart, crunchy and chewy.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4 - 6

2-3 salad turnips, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 bunch radishes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1/3 cup raisins
3 TB toasted chopped pecans
Shredded Parmesan
Your favorite vinaigrette

Combine solid ingredients in a salad bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Crunch crunch.

Served up by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

Arugula, Broccoli, Scallion & Radish Salad

Photo:
Tod Dimmick











Add a handful of toasted nuts and your favorite vinaigrette, and you're in business.

Sauteed Radish and Turnip Greens

Photo:
Tod Dimmick

When Powisset serves up gorgeous spring veg, everything can go to good use! This simple dish appeals to people who love greens, and to use everything possible. Greens from salad turnips and radishes cook quickly and are very tasty. Get 'em while they are fresh!

Prep time: 4 minutes (washing those greens)

Cook time: 7 minutes

Serves: 4 as a side dish

3 TB olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 bunch radish greens, washed and any unappetizing leaves removed

1 bunch turnip greens, washed and any unappetizing leaves removed

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the greens and cook, stirring, for 5 mintues or until tender. Distribute to serving plates and season to taste with salt and pepper. Of course, you could never go wrong sprinkling with parmesan, either.

Served up by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

Mozzarella-Walnut Spinach Salad

Photo:
Tod Dimmick










This simple salad makes (he says modestly) the perfect lunch.

1 bunch spinach, washed and dried
1 bunch radishes, scrubbed and sliced
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2" chunks
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
Your favorite vinaigrette dressing


Submitted by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

Spring Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Photo:
Tod Dimmick











Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4-6

4 slices local bacon
4 TB olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely minced
4TB balsamic vinegar

1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and dried
3-4 salad turnips with greens, turnips scrubbed and sliced, greens washed and dried
3-4 radishes, scrubbed and sliced
3 TB toasted pecans
Freshly ground black pepper

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, and drain on paper towels. Pour off the fat (some will remain for flavor, and that's great). Add the olive oil and cook the shallots and garlic for 1 minute, stirring. Turn off the heat. Stir in the vinegar.

Chop the spinach into 1/4 inch pieces.

Place the spinach, turnips, greens, and radishes in a large bowl. Top with the bacon, and pour on the warm dressing. Toss and serve immediately, sprinkling with toasted pecans and black pepper.

Variation: This can easily be made without the bacon.

Submitted by Tod Dimmick,
"The Foodie" at 1000radishes

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a spaceship-shaped cultivar of the cabbage plant, an appearance created by a swollen stem with leaves and stems radiating off it. The name comes from kohl (German "kale") and rube/rapi (Swiss German "turnip") which it resembles. While the leaves and thin stems are edible, the roundish above-ground "bulb" are the part for which it's grown - it tastes just like a tender, sweet broccoli stem or cabbage core with a crunchy, light texture. It's high in fiber, potassium and vitamin C. This cool weather crop is available in spring and fall and has green and purple varieties.

To store, remove leaf stems and put unwashed kohlrabi in an unsealed plastic bag in the fridge. It should last a few weeks. It's easy to use - very small kohlrabi does not require peeling, but if the bulb is larger than a tennis ball, use a sharp knife to cut off the outside layer completely. It's tasty raw, grated in salads or slaws, julienned for dips or snacks, or sliced into stir-fries. You can also sautee, steam, or boil it. The farmers highly recommend slicing kohlrabi into 1/2 inch thick rounds, coating in olive oil and herbs, or a marinating sauce, and grilling it directly on the bbq. Yum!

Kohlrabi-Radish Slaw with Cumin and Cilantro
3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cover honey
1/4 tsp cumin seeds, toasted, coarsely ground in a mortar and pestle
5 Tablespoons canola oil
5 radishes, grated (about 1 cup)
3 medium carrots, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 small unpeeled kohlrabi bulbs (purple, green, or both), trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks (3 cups)
1/2 medium head green cabbage, thinly sliced (5 cups)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, honey, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Gradually whisk in the canola oil until combined. Put the radishes, carrot, kohlrabi, cabbage and cilantro in a large bowl. Pour in the dressing and gently toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
From Fine Cooking.

Radish

Radishes (Raphanus sativus) are a fast-growing, cool-weather-loving, crisp round or cylindrical root that can be sweet or more pungent depending on variety and growing conditions . They are part of the Brassica family, making them cousins with broccoli, kale, cabbage, and so on. Although usually grown for the bright red, white or lavender roots, radish greens can be eaten as well. In addition, we grow daikon radishes in fall - a spicy radish great for making kimchi or pickles.

To store, cut off the green leafy tops and store roots and greens separately in plastic bags in the fridge (leaving the tops attached causes moisture and nutrient loss during storage). Use these radish roots fresh - chop or shred into salads, slaws or salsas, add slices onto toast with cream cheese, add to sandwiches, or use with your favorite dip. They can also be lightly cooked. Radish greens can be raw salads (if young and tender) or cooked in soups or stir-fries.

Here are some more unusual ways to use radishes:

Braised Radishes
adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

20 plump radishes
1 to 2 Tablespoons butter
2 stalks green garlic, cleaned as you would a leek and chopped, use all the light green part
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Trim the leaves from the radishes, leaving a bit of the green stems, and scrub them. Wash the leaves and set aside. Leave smaller radishes whole and halve the larger ones. Melt 2 to 3 teaspoons of the butter in a small saute pan. Add the shallot and thyme and cook for 1 minute over medium heat. Add the radishes, a little salt and pepper, and water just to cover. Simmer until the radishes are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the leaves and cook until they're wilted and tender, 1 minute more. Remove the radishes to a serving dish. Boil the liquid, adding a teaspoon or two more butter if you like, until only about 1/4 cup remains. pour it over the radishes and serve.

Bread-and-Butter Radish Pickles

1 bunch red radishes (about 13 radishes)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon yellow or brown mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 medium dried bay leaf

Slice radish roots into thin disks and set aside into fridge. Combine all other ingredients into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Let liquid cool for 5 min then pour over radishes. Let it all sit at room temperature for 20 min, then cover and refridgerate - they will last for weeks!