THE NOT SO HUMBLE RADISH

                                            The Not So Humble Radish

 

          Any gardener will enthuse with you about their first vegetable crop of the year and nine times out of ten it will be radishes. Yes!  My first radishes were ready to pull the third week in May and I was delighted. This meant more colorful fresh salads with that extra crunch for the table.

          Radishes come in many colors and shapes and are associated with a sharp flavor that can vary in intensity from mild, as in white or French breakfast radishes to the really sharp in Black Spanish radishes. Most have white flesh although recently chefs have favored those with rose colored flesh. Radishes are a good dietary source of potassium, antioxidants and are low in calories.

          Radishes have a long history as a root vegetable from Southern China and were depicted on wall paintings in Egyptian pyramids as long as 4000 years ago. The horseradish, a close relative and the most pungent of radishes, appears in Greek mythology and was probably indigenous to Eastern Europe. It was well established in Britain by 1590.

          Today we think of the radish mostly in salads, but it can also be pickled and even roasted.  Sliced radishes add a crisp note to potato and pasta salads. Radish florets are also decorative on potato and pasta salads; and a slice of bread or cracker with cottage or cream cheese acquires both visual and taste appeal when decorated with thin colorful radish slices. 

                                                 Radish-cucumber salad 

          This salad goes well with any roasted meats and at our house is a favorite with takeout sushi.

          Wash and trim a small bunch of radishes. Slice the radishes crosswise in thin slices and marinate in ¼ cup flavored rice vinegar for 30 minutes with occasional turning to keep basted. Cut ½ of an English or other long seedless cucumber in half lengthwise and then thinly slice both halves. Toss with the marinated radishes and vinegar and 1-2 tblsp. chopped chives and ¼ tsp. salt (optional).

                                                         Roasted radishes

          Roasted radishes like roasted cauliflower are an unusual dish, but when not overcooked, can be delicious.

          Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and trim a bunch of radishes and pat dry. If very large, cut in half. Melt 2 tblsp. butter and collect the clear ghee (fat), you should have 1 tblsp. and mix it with ¼ tsp. garlic powder. Toss the radishes with the ghee and spread on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with ½ tsp. coarse sea salt, 1 tsp. dried dill weed. Roast for 20 minutes, turning the radishes with a spatula once during that time. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve warm or at room temperature.

          Daikon radishes are long white radishes, relatively mild in flavor. These are annually grown from seed and can reach a considerable length as I found a few years ago in my garden in Waldoboro, Maine. In stores, you will often see them cut in different length pieces. Because they have a diameter of 2 or even 3 inches, they make easy appetizers instead of crackers, especially with blue cheese. Just slice them ¼ inch thick crosswise, peel, cut each slice in half if large, set a piece of blue cheese or Roquefort on top and you are all set to serve.

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)