eat my radishes

it was a couple of weeks into culinary school when I realized I was constantly thinking about and dreaming about food. between school, personal cheffing, and spending the weekends building up my catering business, I’ve been up to my shoulders in whole grains, organic vegetables, kombu strips, and the occasional pan fried seitan (see those sliders behind the blog title?). at night I would have dreams – vivid ones – of different foods I was cooking, or some slice I was trying to perfect. one food in particular often made its way into these dreams – each time it appeared I would be trying my hardest to slice paper-thin rounds of it, breaking open the vibrant pink globes to expose their pure white bellies.
ah yes, the radish. member of the cruciferous family, generally eaten raw with the stems discarded as trash. well I’d like to have my radish and eat it too – and I mean all of it. a natural digestive aid, radishes are high in potassium and folic acid. they are a cooling food, and ayurvedically-speaking are kapha & vata reducing. and it’s radish season, so why not try them.

this past weekend at the green market in Union Square I worked my school’s demo/tasting booth. we sautéed radishes and radish greens and handed out samples. simple as it is, people loved it. I had never eaten cooked radishes before and I loved it too. Below is the basic recipe for the dish we made, but you can really do it up your own way. You can switch up proportions of greens to radishes, or the order of cooking, and it will still come out delicious. give it a try:

Sauteed Radish Greens with Garlic

1-2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic – regular or spring garlic, thinly sliced
5 bunches radishes thinly sliced (reserve greens)
Reserved greens, washed well & chopped into bite size pieces
Sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

1. In a medium pan, heat oil over medium high heat, add garlic to pan and sauté for 1-2 minutes. 2. Add radishes, sauté until radishes begin to turn a pinkish color.
3. Add greens, salt and pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add greens, salt and pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve with your choice fo grain. Copyright Sara Ross