Two Ways with Radishes

Ah the radish. Truly one of the more under appreciated veggies out there. Usually relegated to being sliced and tossed in a salad without much thought; the radish often doesn't get its chance to shine. Maybe it has something to do with the taste, which is definitely on the bold and assertive side. I find that I appreciate radishes more in small doses, which is perhaps why they are often not the centerpiece of recipes.
And while radishes may not be one of my favorites, the dang things are so easy to grow that there was no way I could stop myself from planting them in my garden. This year I planted the "Easter Egg" variety of radishes. They come in the most beautiful range of reds, pinks, and white. Unfortunately I did not think to do a successive sowing of the little buggers, which means I have a very large crop of beautiful radishes appearing all at once. My garden overfloweth.
And so I have been trying to use my abundance of radishes in as many applications as possible. So far there have been two winners. An amazingly tasty salad dressing made out of radishes that highlights their flavor in a way I didn't know possible:.
And these crunchy little slivers of pickled radishes. These would be great for topping sandwiches or fish tacos. They also are great to have hanging out in the fridge for snacking.
Ok so first up is the radish dressing. There's nothing like a freshly made salad dressing to elevate any lettuce, and this one is so easy to make. Five radishes are chopped up and placed in a food processor with some mustard, garlic, and vinegar.
They get pulsed until finely chopped.
And then some olive oil gets slowly drizzled in while the processor is running.
This dressing is on the thicker side, and is loaded with amazing taste. The radish flavor melds with the rest of the ingredients in a way that mellows out their stronger points and creates a dressing that is unique in a very good way.
This dressing is good enough on its own that not much else is needed in the salad department.
I just used some baby greens and a few herbs from my garden, along with (of course) some more sliced radishes, and a beautiful salad was made.
The pickled radishes are super simple to make as well. Red wine vinegar, sugar, and water get heated up in a pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil.
The mixture chills out for a while and then gets poured over some thinly sliced radishes.
The radishes get refrigerated and are ready in about 30 minutes. They will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month. Hopefully these recipes will help for anyone else out there who is swimming in radishes like I am!

Radish Dressing
Adapted from Bon Appetit

5 radishes, unpeeled, trimmed, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons champagne or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup olive oil

Place radishes in processor with vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Process until radishes are finely chopped. With processor running, slowly add oil until a thick dressing forms. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead, cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.


Pickled Radishes
Adapted from Ad Hoc at Home

½ cup red wine or champagne vinegar
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
1 cup radishes, sliced very thin

Combine the vinegar, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Then chill in refrigerator.

Put the radishes in a canning jar or other storage container and pour the pickling liquid over them. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 month.