Bloodless Coup

First Fruits

Radishes, actually.

This was the first year I planted radishes in my garden, a mix heirloom selection. Boy howdy did they take off! Generally the only thing I get to harvest in early June is parsley, which winters over and bursts out again in late May. This year, the exhuberant radishes were the first real harvest, even when all I was ready to do was thin them out. I started thinning, but ended up taking extra large radishes instead of puny seedlings. In addition to the juicy radishes - which pack a lot more heat than the watery ones you get at the grocery - there were about eight cups of radish greens for the eight to ten radishes I pulled out. Lucky for me, that's just what this recipe (page down) calls for:

Radish Top Soup

Don't throw out your radish greens. Believe it or not, those fuzzy leaves can be transformed into a smooth green soup, with a hint of watercress flavor.

6 Tb butter

1 cup chopped onions or leeks

8 cups loosely packed radish leaves

2 cups diced peeled potatoes

6 cups liquid (water, chicken stock)

Salt

1/2 cup cream (optional)

Freshly ground pepper

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan, add onions or leeks, and cook until golden, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in radish tops, cover pan, and cook over low heat until wilted, 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook potatoes until soft in liquid along with 1 teaspoon salt. Combine with radish tops and broth, and cook, covered, for 5 minutes to mingle flavors. Puree finely in a food processor. Add cream if desired. Season to taste with butter, salt and pepper.

The version my radishes went into had onions (not leeks), chicken stock (not water) and no cream (although I could see having a drizzle on top for presentation.

Bon Appetit!

Posted by binky at June 5, 2007 09:36 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Gardening