We are up to our ears in radishes...really...no joke. We have three types: daikon or some other obscure Korean variety our friend Peter gave us, the red globe variety that is probably what you're used to finding in the grocery stores and watermelon radishes. I had high hopes for the last type...they're white on the outside and pink on the inside. The greens looked large and healthy but today I noticed they were starting to bolt. Upon pulling them I discovered that they were teeny-tiny. Oh well.
One thing I learned this season is that radish greens are not only edible but also delicious. My friend Peter (the same one who grew the daikons) informed me that in Korea (where his wife is from) many radish varieties are grown for the green and not the root. I'll be! So we've been cooking them up. We had radish green, Oaxacan cheese, blue corn quesadillas the other night...delicious. Some varieties have furry greens that are a little weird raw, so you might as well cook them. I'm going to experiment with a radish green soup tonight...I'll let you know how it goes.
Today though I am going to make a Remoulade, a french condiment that is mayonnaise or tartar sauce like. It can be made with a variety of key ingredients from pickles to curry. The recipe I found is from Marquita Farms. They have a lot of neat radish recipes if you're like me and am drowning in this early season veggie. Check them out at www.marquita.com/recipes/radish/html.
The recipe goes something like this:
Daikon Radish Remoulade
1 lb. daikon
3 tbsp. mustard
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced parsley (I don't have this last thing so may add tarragon or mint...we will see)
Grate daikon. Mix mustard with 3 tbsp. hot water, whisk, add oil slowly, whisk until emulsified, whisk in vinegar and pepper to taste. Stir in daikon and parsley.
PS: Daikons are really high in Vitamin C and low in calories so eat em' up!
