Easter Egg radishes (above) are a beautiful bundle of colour - they really do look like little Easter eggs. Red, purple, white, and pink on the outside, but white flesh on the inside. They are rather mild and add colour to any salads or veggie tray.
d'Avignon radishes are long with sprays of bright pink and white with long leafy greens. They are a variety of French breakfast radishes which makes them one of the most mild radishes.
Red Rover radishes (below) are the most typical red radishes with the spice you'd want from a radish. They are part of the mustard family and the degree of hotness comes from how old the radish is - a longer length of growing time and/or if they are deprived or overwhelmed with weather conditions will make them hotter. They should be bright red with a translucent white flesh. Red rover red rover, send these radishes over!
Storage: twist off the greens. keep unwashed radishes in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. only wash them as you use them as the radishes will absorb the water causing them to deteriorate quickly.
use within a week, two max.
Buying: Radishes should be firm.
Handling: When ready to eat, wash radishes and scrub off any of the earth's dirt in the crevices. The tops and roots should be cut off.
Medical: Radishes are low in calories and high in Vitamin C! They are known to relieve indigestion and flatulence.
Tips: Radishes can be eaten unpeeled, but apparently most of the kick is within the skins, so if they are too spicy, peel them.
When cutting off the greens, leave about an inch to use as a "handle" or easy to grab top.
Leave them in a bowl of ice water for about an hour for some extra crispness.
Recipe: Radishes are great eaten raw or slightly grilled with some butter and salt - a great pairing for their peppery kick! (thanks, John Evenlyn)
The leaves can be cooked like spinach.
Radishes can be eaten whole, raw, shredded or sliced.
Substitute radish for mustard in sandwiches.
Mustardy Potato Salad with Crunchy Radishes and Greens.
1 bag baby red potatoes, scrubbed
2 bunches radishes, thinly sliced
extra virgin vinegar
sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard - or to taste
salt and pepper
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
radish leaves, julienned
put the potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. boil the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. drain the potatoes and let cool, then cut them in quarters. to make the dressing, add the extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. add the potatoes and celery and coat to dress. Let the salad come to room temperature before adding the radishes and their greens.
I haven't made this one yet, but I'm obsessed with my Plenty cookbook by London's Yotam Ottolenghi. It looks great!
Avocado, quinoa, and fava bean salad
1 cup quinoa
3 cups shelled fava beans
2 lemons
2 ripe avocados
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bunches radishes, sliced lengthways
1 cup purple radish cress (or purple basil)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
salt and pepper
place the quinoa in a saucepan with plenty of water and bring to the boil then simmer for 9 minutes. Drain through a fine sieve, rinse under cold water and then leave to dry.
throw the fava beans into a pan of boiling water, bring back to the boil and then immediately drain in a colander. refresh with cold water and leave to dry. gently press each bean with fingers to remove the skins and discard.
take the lemons and use a small sharp knife to slice off the top and base. stand each one on a chopping board and cut down the sides, following the natural curve to remove the skin and white pith. over a large mixing bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the individual segments into the bowl. squeeze the juice from the membrane into the bowl with the segments.
peel and stone the avocados. slice thinly, then add to the bowl and toss to cover in the lemon juice. once the quinoa is dry, transfer it into the bowl. add the fava beans, crushed garlic, radishes, half the radish cress, teh cumin, extra virgin olive oil, chili flakes and some salt and pepper. toss very gently without breaking the avocado. season to taste. plate and garnish with the remaining paste.
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