Roasted Root Vegetables and Radishes

Look at all this color! I chopped these root vegetables into somewhat the same size and followed this recipe, from Kalyn's Kitchen, to roast these.

Ingredients:
2 large turnips (Adrienne's note: I just used all of the vegetables you see above)

1 tsbp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

additional 1 tsp balsamic vinegar for finishing
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Peel turnip with knife and cut into pieces about 1-inch square. Whisk together 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and toss with turnips, then spread in even layer in roasting pan. Roast turnips 25-30 minutes, or until slightly browned and softened.

Remove turnips from oven and place into serving bowl. Toss with additional 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve immediately.

Pickled Radishes, Take Two!

A few weeks ago, I made pickled radishes. I wanted to remake the recipe using ribbon-thin slices of radishes. This week, I did that, and the results were good! Here's the recipe (from Martha Stewart):

Ingredients:

2/3 cup red wine vinegar;

1/2 cup sugar;

Coarse salt;

6 oz of radishes, ends trimmed and sliced thinly.

Directions: In a medium size bowl, stir together vinegar, sugar, and 2 tsp coarse salt. Add radishes and stir to combine. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Pickled radishes are best used within a few hours but can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Radishes! Radishes! Radishes!

Look at all these radishes! Before joining the CSA, I don't think I ever ate a radish (on purpose, at least). What to do with them????

The first recipe I tried was the French Breakfast Radish Tartines. The bitter tang of the radishes went well with the sweet butter and the crusty bread (I used a baguette). But I couldn't tell if I just liked the bread and butter and the radishes were just along for the ride.

The second recipe I tried was the Quick Pickled Radishes. Those were good palette cleansers. Next time, I'll slice them ribbon-thin.

The last recipe I tried was the Butter-Glazed Radishes. This one was my least favorite. I tried to salvage the radishes by pulsing them into a cream cheese and heavy cream mix (with a dash of steak sauce, although I wanted to use Worcestershire sauce). The spread was not good, and I ended up throwing it away.

Lesson learned for the future: Go with pickling!

French Breakfast Radish Tartines

French Breakfast Radish Tartines

This recipe comes from the website, Food, Je T'aime. Link is above.

Ingredients:

1 bunch French breakfast radishes
1 loaf whole grain La Bread bread
French unsalted butter, room temperature
coarse sea salt
parsley

Directions:

1. cut bread into 1/2 inch slices (I didn't toast the bread)
2. slice radishes as thinly as possible
3. spread a layer of butter on the bread and arrange the radish slices on top
4. sprinkle with coarse sea salt and chopped parsley
5. enjoy with a cool glass of white wine

Quick Pickled Radishes: It's a Good Thing

Quick Pickled Radishes This is a Martha Stewart Recipe. Link is above.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup red-wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Coarse salt

15 medium-size red radishes (about 6 ounces), ends trimmed, thinly sliced

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons coarse salt. Add radishes, and stir to combine. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Pickled radishes are best used within a few hours but can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Butter-Glazed Radishes

Butter-Glazed Radishes

This recipe comes from Molly Stevens' All About Braising, pages 73-74.

Ingredients:

2 bunches small radishes (2 to 2 1/2 dozen, or about 1 pound)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 chicken stock or water
Large pinch of sugar
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Trimming and washing the radishes: Trim the radishes of their roots and pare off the greens, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the stems. (Taste a piece of the pared-off greens. If you like their peppery taste, wash them and save to add to salads; otherwise, discard them.) Soak the radishes in cold water for about 15 minutes to loosen any dirt that may be caught in the stems. (You certainly don't need to leave any of the green stems; I just think it looks nice and I enjoy the earthy taste they provide.) Drain and scrub the radishes. Cut any radishes that are more than 1 inch in diameter in half.

2. The braise: Place the radishes in a medium skillet (10-inch) that would hold them in a single layer. Add the butter, stock or water, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, reduce the heat, and braise at a low simmer until the radishes are easily pierced with a metal skewer, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. The finish: Remove the lid, shake the pan to roll the radishes around, and continue simmering until the liquid reduces to a glaze and coat the radishes, another 5 minutes or so. Taste a radish for salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Sassy! salad mix, lettuce heads, carrots, radishes, and beets

Left: Flank steak with Sassy salad, which included ....
... Radishes and beets...
... Baby carrots ...
... And the Sassy greens mix, in a basalmic vinaigrette (one part balsamic vinegar, one part brown mustard, salt and pepper, two parts extra virgin olive oil, shaken well).