Recipes 7/3 & 7/5
Radishes Braised w/ Shallots & Vinegar
2 large bunches of radishes, about 1 pound
3 large shallots
1 Tbls butter
2 oz salt pork, slivered into small slices
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
1/2 C water
1 small bunch Italian parsley, leaves chopped into about two handfuls
Salt and pepper
Trim away tops and bottoms of the radishes, reserving for soup or discarding to compost. (Ours were not in good shape so we let them go.) Slice each radish in half from top to bottom. Peel the shallots and slice into thin rings.
Heat the butter and salt pork over medium heat in a large heavy skillet – preferably cast iron. When the pork is starting to curl up at the edges and the butter has foamed and subsided, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they start to brown slightly. Add the radishes, placing each cut side down in the skillet. Let them cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes or until the bottoms just start to color.
Add the balsamic vinegar and the water – the water should just come up around the sides of the radishes. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Remove the cover and continue to simmer for about 3-4 minutes, or until the water has reduced into a syrupy sauce. Add the the parsley and sauté for about a minute or two, until it’s wilted.
Season with salt and pepper and serve. (Thanks to B.O.G. member Leah Olson for sharing this recipe! From www.thekitchen.com)
Balsamic-Glazed Sweet & Sour Cipollini
2 pounds cipollini or small (1 1/2-inch) onions
4 Tbls virgin olive oil
3 Tbls sweet butter
2 Tbls sugar
1 C balsamic vinegar
1/2 C tomato sauce of your choice (I cheated and used canned. Don’t tell!)
1 C water
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Blanche the onions in boiling water for one minute and let them cool so that they can easily be peeled. Peel the onions, leaving and washing any root strand you may find.
In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan over a medium high flame, heat virgin olive oil until just smoking. Add butter and cook until foam subsides. Add onions and saute until light golden brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. [Batali doesn’t mention this but listen to me and my messily-splattered walls, floor, ceiling and arms that still hurt at the thought of it: this will splatter a lot. You either want to use a splatter screen, should you be savvy enough to have one, or a lid. Consider yourself warned.]
Add sugar, vinegar, tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil. Cook onions covered (again, the splatter effect is such that a lid is worth using) until just al dente, about 10 minutes. If liquid dissipates too quickly, add more water, a 1/4 cup at a time, realizing that it is essential not to overcook the onions. The sauce should just adhere to the onions. Remove from saute pan to an earthenware dish and hold in a warm place, or allow to cool if you are serving them later or as an antipasto. Sprinkle with rosemary as a garnish. (From www.smittenkitchen.com)
Radish Top Soup
2 Tbls butter
1 large onion, diced
2 medium potatoes, sliced
4 C raw radish greens
4 C chicken broth
1/3 C heavy cream
5 radishes, sliced
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and saute until tender. Mix in the potatoes and radish greens, coating them with the butter. Pour in chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Allow the soup mixture to cool slightly, and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Return the mixture to the saucepan.
Mix in the heavy cream. Cook and stir until well blended. Serve with radish slices. (From allrecipes.com)
Spicy Kohlrabi Greens
Greens from 5 kohlrabi bulbs, stalks removed
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cumin
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons butter
dash of chili powder
¼ Spanish onion, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Wash leaves in cold water. Cut leaves perpendicular to the spines into about 1-inch ribbons. In a sauté pan, sauté onions in butter until soft. Add smashed garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add kohlrabi greens, stock, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, salt, and pepper, and a little more butter, if desired. Cover and wilt the greens on a simmer (stirring occasionally), about 20 minutes or until ribbons are soft. If you haven’t made collard greens or chard this way before, you may be surprised by how much the greens shrink. If needed, add more stock or water to keep greens from sticking to the bottom.
(From www.omnivoroustraveler.com)
Snow Pea, Radish, & Celery Sauté
2 large green onions
2 large celery stalks
1 bunch(es) radishes
1/2 pound(s) snow peas
1 Tbls salad oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large lemon
Cut green onions into 1-inch pieces. Slice celery diagonally into thin slices. Cut each radish in half. Remove stem and strings along both edges of each pea pod.
In nonstick 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, in hot salad oil, cook green onions, celery, radishes, pea pods, and salt until vegetables are lightly browned and tender-crisp.
Cut lemon in half. Squeeze juice from half of lemon over vegetables. Spoon vegetables onto platter. Slice remaining lemon into thin slices. Garnish vegetables with lemon slices. (From www.goodhousekeeping.com)