radish, celebrated three ways

when spring vegetables roll around, we start getting excited about freshly picked, colorful foods instead of the potatoes and onions we’ve been gnawing on all winter. for us, it’s the lettuce, asparagus, and even spring carrots and ramps. but i don’t think much of radishes. i don’t remember eating them during my adolescence, so there is no excitement when the bright red orbs and fluffy green tops appear in the market bins (yes, they are beautiful, i give them that).

wil inadvertently set out to celebrate the radish when the vendors were overflowing with piles of different varieties. we came home with two kinds- the usual round red, and an elongated milder ‘french breakfast’ radish.

i realized he thinks about dishes in a similar way that i think about designing a space. you can’t just think about a room in just a floor plan view…you have to visualize the walls growing up out of that plan, and how you move throughout the space, and what you see looking down, out and up. i could see the wheels in his head churning about the layers of this dish. he didn’t want to just slice a couple radishes on a bed of lettuce and call it good…he had to visualize the base of the flavors, how things complement one another, and then take into consideration of the textures, and what you taste at the beginning, middle and end of every bite.

the radish is seen in multiple facets…a ‘plate sauce’ was the base of the dish was a radish greens puree. the body was comprised of a spicy mizuna lettuce and more radish greens. the garnishes were pickled radish, quick roasted croutons, and sliced raw radishes, of both varieties, all tossed in a sweet rhubarb viniagrette.

i was pleasantly surprised at one, how much of the plant you could actually use (all of it!), and that they have a crisp, bright peppery flavor, that paired with the right things (like a sweet dressing), can really shine. i preferred the mild french radish on it’s own, but then once he pickled the regular radish, i couldn’t stop munching on them just straight out of the jar.

pickled spring radish

1 pound radishes, quartered
1 cup dry champagne *
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 bay leaves
3 star anise points
8 allspice berries
2 preserved lemon wedges
8 juniper berries, crushed
10 peppercorns
a pinch of pickling spice

put everything in a pot (except the radishes) and bring to a boil, add the radishes and very lightly simmer for 5 minutes. remove and let rest at room temperature until cool. place in jars and refrigerate.

radish green puree

greens from 1 pound of radishes, blanched
1 shallot, split, peeled and roasted
2 cloves garlic, roasted
1/2 cup champagne *
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 sprigs tarragon
2 preserved lemon wedges (you can substitute zest of half a lemon if you have no preserved lemons)
3/4 cup blend oil (blend half vegetable oil and half olive oil – if you use only olive oil, the puree will come out too bitter)
salt and papper to taste

1. place garlic and shallot in an oven-proof container, drizzle a bit of olive oil over them and cover with foil.  roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes .

2. bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add a generous amount of salt and drop the greens in for 60 seconds, remove and quickly douse in an ice bath.

3. add greens, shallot, garlic, champagne, white wine vinegar, tarragon, and preserved lemon into a blender.  if the puree seems too thick, add a touch of water or a little more champagne.  slowly drizzle in the oil.  season with salt and pepper until perfect.

serve on steaks or under salads for awesomeness.

*we don’t particularly like champagne to keep it on hand, but had a gifted bottle hiding in our pantry. you could easily get away with the cheapest bottle of champagne, prosecco, or sparkling wine.