175. Braised Radishes with Raspberry Vinegar (p. 574)

If you're like me, you usually eat radishes raw, either sliced up in salads or with a little butter and salt, like the French eat them. But when I got a nice big bunch of fresh radishes in my CSA box, I decided to try this recipe* for braised radishes.

First, I washed and trimmed the radishes and arranged them in a single layer in a skillet. I mixed together a little sugar, some water, raspberry vinegar, and a little bit of salt and olive oil (The Book calls for a tablespoon of butter, but I used olive oil instead because my wife still can't eat dairy. I don't think the substitution harmed anything.) I poured the mixture over the radishes and brought it to a boil. Then I reduced the heat, covered the pan and simmered it for a little while. I took off the cover and simmered for a bit longer until the radishes were tender enough to pierce with a fork. I removed the radishes from the skillet and put them in a bowl. I boiled the cooking liquid until it was quite reduced and then poured it over the radishes. I seasoned them with a little bit of salt and pepper and sprinkled some finely chopped garlic scape tips on the top. The Book calls for chives, but I was looking for things to do with the garlic scapes I got in the CSA box, and the fine, tender tips of the scapes reminded me of chives in flavor and appearance.

This isn't a bad way to eat radishes. They look beautiful. The braising rounds out the sharp edges of the radishes' flavor. The raspberry vinegar give the dish a bit of a sweet and sour effect but they tasted a little pickle-ish. Not my very favorite dish, but certainly not bad.

Not part of the recipe, but I thought that I'd mention that I made a little salad from the radish greens. (Thanks for the tip, Ryan!) Since I knew the radish greens would be pretty bold (peppery with some bitterness), I wanted to pair them with a substantial dressing. So, I adapted the blue cheese dip I made for the buffalo wings I made a while back. I made it more of a dressing and less of a dip by adding extra yogurt. It was delicious. The creamy tang of the dressing was a nice pairing for the greens, and made for a nice change of pace for lunch.

Date Cooked: July 3, 2009
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Rating: B+

* This recipe isn't on epicutious.com