|
|
Radishes
They sit left behind on relish trays. They’re often by-passed in
grocery store refrigerator shelves. Dad and Grandpa usually eat them but
later complain of belching them up. The poor radish has gotten a bum rap.
There are at least five different varieties; but for now, the popular, red
globe variety will be spotlighted. They are a great source of vitamin C
and an excellent low calorie snack (only 12 calories in a half cup of radishes).
Radishes are root vegetables that are classified in the cabbage and mustard
family, thus their strong taste.
Most people eat them raw, with a little salt. If you’d like your radishes to
be a little crispier and a little less sharp in taste, put them in ice
water for a couple hours before you plan to eat them. There are also a
number of ways to cook them. Boil a half inch of water, add the sliced radishes,
and then cover and simmer until tender, adding more water if necessary. Cook five
to ten minutes. To microwave, place a half pound of sliced radishes in a
microwave safe dish with 1 tablespoon of water or broth. Cook for
approximately four minutes.
If the taste of raw radishes is a little too pungent for some, try
them steamed. Their bright red skin will turn pink on steamed radishes. The
easiest way to steam them is to place whole radishes in a vegetable steamer
and cook over boiling water until barely tender. Cook approximately eight to
twelve minutes. Another way to prepare our friend, the red radish, is to
stir fry them. Sliced radishes combine well with other vegetables and meat
in stir-fries. Don’t over cook them or they’ll become mushy. Cook approximately
three to five minutes.
As Cliff Claven would say, “It’s a little known fact that …” radishes were first
cultivated thousands of years ago in China, then in Egypt and Greece. In
Greece they were so highly regarded that gold replicas were made. (Now that’s
some serious radish lovers!)
So the next time you walk past radishes in the grocery store or at the
market, back track a few steps and pick up a bunch or two. Or better yet,
plant some in your garden this year. Radishes are one of the very
first vegetables ready for harvest in the spring. They will in turn, ready
your soil for other veggies! Give these little guys a chance again.
Here is a good use of radishes ...
SUMMER SALAD
INGREDIENTS: 3 lettuces, 2 handfuls of mustard-and-cress, 10 young radishes,
a few slices of cucumber
Let the herbs be as fresh as possible for a salad, and, if at all
stale or dead-looking, let them lie in water for an hour or two, which
will very much refresh them. Wash and carefully pick them over, remove
any decayed or wormeaten leaves, and drain them thoroughly by swinging
them gently in a clean cloth. With a knife, cut the lettuces into small
pieces, and the radishes and cucumbers into thin slices; arrange all these
ingredients lightly on a dish, with the mustard and cress, and pour under,
but not over the salad. Add souce as necessary. Do not stir it up until
it is to be eaten. It may be garnished with hard-boiled eggs, cut in
slices, sliced cucumbers, nasturtiums, cut vegetable-flowers, and many
other things that taste will always suggest to make a pretty and elegant
dish. In making a good salad, care must be taken to have the herbs
freshly gathered, and thoroughly drained before the sauce is added
to them, or it will be watery and thin.
(the concept for this article supplied by InfoGoRound)
|