SFist in the Kitchen: Radishes
"Can you do anything with radishes other than carve them into little shapes?" a friend asked when we told him about our farmer's market haul from Sunday's Jack London Square market. "Of course," we replied confidently, waiting until his back was turned before scurrying off nervously to check our cookbooks.
We confess that we, too, used to use spring radishes for garnish rather than flavor, though they have the same bite we like in their close relatives the turnips. At best, we've put the ubiquitous Cherry Belle radishes onto a crudité platter, where our guests usually just ignore them. We decided it was time to expand our horizons.
The French have never neglected this vegetable the way we do. Indeed, the oblong type with a pink top and white bottom is called French Breakfast, though Western cultures no longer eat radishes so early in the morning. We took a cue from la cuisine française and served radishes alongside thick slabs of Acme bread and a pot of luscious European-style cultured butter. We put down a knife and let people slice rounds over the buttered slices. We like the casual nature of an appetizer that forces people to use their hands.
Photos by Melissa Schneider.
But that's just one step—one big step—up from a crudité platter, and we wanted more. Elizabeth Schneider's sketched-out description of an Odessa Piper amuse-bouche inspired us to make our own version. We spooned a pumpkin-parsley pesto into the hollowed-out shells of differently colored radishes from an "easter egg" bouquet. To complement the Austrian-style stuffing and the radish's bite, we naturally chose an Austrian wine that could bite back, an older Gruner Veltliner.
A quick dunk in boiling water (or stock) mellows the radishes and makes them more tender. Simply poach until just tender, and remove from the liquid. We blanched French Breakfast radishes and fava beans, and paired them with a Flintsone-esque Prather Ranch rack of lamb sauced with puréed radish greens in a beef stock reduction. We loved this dish with a hearty, fruity California syrah.
Radishes are never again going haphazardly on our crudité platter.
Recipe: Radishes Stuffed with Pumpkin-Parsley Pesto
Note that pumpkin seed oil can be found at many gourmet markets, though it's always worth calling to see if they have this unusual ingredient. The pesto recipe can be modified as you like for different effects. If you want a lighter flavor and color, replace some of the pumpkin seed oil with olive oil. If you want a creamier version, add more cheese. If you want a thinner version for pasta, add more oil. This recipe, like most recipes, should be viewed as a starting point for your own ideas.
For the pesto:
- 1/2 c. packed Italian parsley leaves.
- 1/4 c. pumpkin seeds, toasted lightly
- 1/2 c. pumpkin seed oil
- 3/4 oz. finely grated Parmiggiano Reggiano
- salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste
- Place the parsley leaves in a small plastic bag, and bruise them by hitting the bag with a meat mallet or the edge of a wooden spoon.
- Combine all but the cheese and final seasonings into a food processor, and purée. Stir in cheese. Add seasonings, tasting as you go.
For the radishes:
- Wash Cherry Belle or "easter egg" radishes in warm water to remove the dirt. Slice off the stems.
- Slice a thin piece of the bottom of the radish so it can stand easily. Slice crosswise through the radish, near the top, to create a lid. Be sure to keep the lids with their respective radishes so they don't get mixed up.
- Use a small melon baller to scoop out the interior, being careful not to puncture the sides.
- Finely mince the radish "meat" you scraped out.
- Finely mince a celery stalk
- Add the celery and radish to the pesto, and combine well.
- Fill each radish with a little bit of the pesto, and replace the lid. Serve.