On Cooking Radishes

I overdosed on salad as a young child (if you know my mom, you’re not surprised), so the only vegetables I don’t get excited about are the ones that are used exclusively in salads. I know this is probably blasphemy for vegetable farmers, but I could do without lettuce entirely. Micro greens and sprouts? Dumbfounding. And radishes –  well. I had written them off entirely.

That was, until this week, when I mistook some long, white, radishes for baby turnips. And then I realized it.

YOU CAN COOK RADISHES! Why hadn’t anyone told me?

I don’t know if this particular variety is better than others, but I’ll find out when I get my paws on some more. They’re really spicy when they’re raw, but once cooked their heat melts away into a buttery, creamy, slightly earthy taste. Good lord it was good. I’ve used ‘em twice so far:

1. Glazed Radishes: Slice the radishes very thinly, and gently cook in melted butter over low heat until they’re pretty good and translucent. Add a little bit (½ teaspoon for 4 big radishes) of honey, and stir for about a minute, then serve.
2. Soup Toss some sliced or chopped radishes into a soup as it comes to a simmer. Think of it as being kind of like using carrots or turnips to give a nice background flavor, but without the distinct, sometimes distracting flavors that those other root vegetables would provide. I made an amazing black bean soup like this the other night with just cooked beans, broth, radishes, salt, and a dried cayenne pepper.