I happened to be on the phone with my friend Maya tonight while I was cooking – what a happy coincidence for me. Her superhero name is Flavorgirl because she knows so much about food and cooking healthfully; not only does she grow her own veggies, but she has worked at times as a personal chef and also in the organic kitchen of Not-Back-To-School Camp.
Tonight I was admitting to her that I had never once used the bunches of radishes that have been coming with my bi-weekly CSA basket (Community-Supported Agriculture) the last couple of months. Over the phone she started reading from her new favorite cookbook – the one by Mark Bittman of the New York Times – all about radishes. About how they are related to turnips and can be cooked accordingly. Then she read a braised radish recipe out loud while I immediately jumped up to get my radishes out of the fridge. I had had no idea that radishes could be cooked.
They turned out delicious! In fact, they were the best part of dinner (steamed cod, brown/white rice and broccoli) and I will be making more braised radishes next week when I hopefully get another bunch of radishes with my new CSA basket.
And if you save the radish greens you can make a delicious green enchilada sauce, that I made once with Maya here.
Braised Radishes (from memory)
1 pound radishes, trimmed
1/4 c chicken stock (happily I had a cup left over from last week’s roast chicken)
1 tbs basalmic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
butter
salt and pepper to taste
1. Saute the radishes briefly in the butter.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover the pan.
3. Cook until tender.