The Radishes are Ready!

Fridays are always the best day of the workweek (Can I get an amen?), but today is an especially good one. It’s the very first produce delivery from Cooking Light’s garden! Unseasonably warm weather has continued here in Birmingham since the last garden update; our Pink Beauty radishes were practically popping out of the ground. Rain’s in the forecast for this weekend, so they’ll probably undergo a growth spurt, and we wanted to make sure we had plenty of perfect specimens on hand to work with before they swelled too big or started cracking. We’re expecting a batch of Purple Plums next week, along with a crop of baby lettuces.

It never ceases to amaze how the smallest, simplest things can bring the deepest pleasure. Like these radishes. Just 28 days ago, they were seeds. Now just look at them! They’re so precious, it’s going to be hard to eat them. But eat them we will; our Test Kitchen has been developing radish recipes all week. Here’s one of our strong contenders—a recipe we saw for the first time yesterday. It uses the radish and its greens. It’s still in development, though, so keep that in mind if you decide to give it a go (might need a bit more or less salt, a bit more lemon juice, whatnot). 

Radishes in Browned Butter and Lemon

3          cups radishes, halved lengthwise, root and 1-inch stem left on
2          tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2      teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind
2          teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4      teaspoon salt
1          cup torn radish tops
1/4      teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add radishes; cook 4 minutes or until crisp tender; drain.

2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add radishes; cook for 3 minutes or until browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add rind, juice and salt; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; stir in tops. Sprinkle with pepper.