Ravishing Radishes

What is the most under-rated spring vegetable? The radish!  Radishes are detoxifying and great for digestion, they are high in vitamin C and low in calories, and they can even help with bug bites.  Why then are they so ignored?  In most homes, radishes show up on veggie trays or on top of green salads, and they are almost never on restaurant menus, but there are so many wonderful ways to eat them!  Did you know that radishes can be cooked or even roasted?  They can! In fact, cooking them reduces their pungency and gives them a more subtle flavour.  Although at this time of year, they are usually a little milder already.  What's even better is that you can even eat the radish greens.  They are tender like spinach and taste a bit like watercress.

Since I will not be posting next week, here are two ravishing radish recipes to hold you over.

Fennel and Radish Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 large leek, washed, quartered, and sliced
1 large fennel bulb, chopped
1 bunch radishes, quartered and sliced

1 lb frozen shrimp, thawed and peeled
1 clove garlic, minced

juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp light miso
1 tsp honey
salt pepper

fresh dill, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large pan, sauté the oil, butter, leek, salt, and pepper for 4 - 5 minutes.

2. Add the radishes and sauté for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes.

4. Combine the lemon juice, honey, and miso into a paste.  Add to the pan and sauté for approximately 2 minutes or until the shrimp curl and turn pink.

5. Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and top with fresh dill.

Options:

1. This can be eaten on its own or is great when tossed with a short pasta like bow tie.


Radishes on Rye

Spread a fresh piece of rye bread with butter, add sliced raw radishes, and top with flaked salt such as Maldon.  Even if you have very pungent radishes, this combination will remove some of the heat. As an alternative, add sliced raw radishes to your avocado toast from this previously posted recipe. Enjoy!