Recipe: Roasted Radishes

Roasted Radishes sauteed with Fiddlehead Ferns

RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF TINA MARIE GREEN of KISSING ROCK KITCHENS

Radishes bring back many childhood memories of my first garden. My dad was in charge of the corn, the beans and most of the garden, but I was, for some reason, in charge of the radishes.  Seeing this recipe by Chef Tina Marie Green brings me back to those days where I planted seeds and saw the miracle of the radish, and realized the power of nature.  It felt magical to plant a seed with my own two hands and watch this thing, this food, appear out of the dirt, and grow.

Radishes are also very good for you.  They support the stomach, urinary and digestive processes and the detoxification of the liver, and are so tasty when roasted.

Recipe

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredients

3 pounds Radishes, (Watermelon radishes, if available)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – a Tablespoon or so
Sea salt

Method

Clean the radishes and cut them into quarters lengthwise. Place in a bowl and sprinkle lightly with the olive oil---just enough to each one a light covering. Place on their sides on a foil lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with the sea salt. Roast for approximately 20 minutes, depending upon size. When checking the radishes, look for a roasted side, a little soft but crispy on the inside. Taste to check!

Serve

Serve the roasted radishes warm and by themselves, or toss them with fiddlehead ferns!

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Recipe: Blanched Asparagus with Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette

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This is one of my favorite ways to make asparagus -- crsip and dressed like a salad.  By blanching these precious stalks, you will retain more of their abundance of vitamins and minerals -- and asparagus is packed with nutrients (see below).  The saucy lemon vinaigrette is the perfect dressing for this earthy, healthy spring vegetable. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 freshly squeezed lemon (zested first)

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup good olive oil

One full bunch of asparagus

 (Choose firm asparagus with tight, dry heads.  Thickness is a matter of preference. Should be bright green in color.  Use w/in 1-2 days for best flavor, good up to 5 days.  Store in open container with a wet paper towel wrapping the base of the stalks.  Or stand them straight up in a 1/2 inch of water.)

Put it together

Wash the asparagus really well and either cut off the woody bottoms or take a few stalks at a time and break them.  The stalks will break easily at the perfect point.  Toss or compost the woody bottoms and set the tender stalks aside.  Fill a large bowl with ice water (including chunks of ice).  Set it near the stove.  Bring a large pot of water to boil and place the asparagus into the water for 1-3 minutes - depending upon the thickness of the stalks.  Remove the stalks with a slotted spoon and plunge them whole-heartedly into the ice water.  This will preserve the beautiful green color and keep them nice and crisp.  I like asparagus nice and lively so I don't keep it in too long.

Make the Vinaigrette

Put the mustard, salt, lemon and its zest into a bowl and whisk together.  Slowly add in the olive oil as you as you continue to whisk.  It will take about 1/2 cup of olive oil to make the right thickness.  But if you get the thickness you want before you use the entire 1/2 cup, then you don't have to add it all!

Pour over the asparagus and enjoy.

Add More Power to Your Asparagus

Another way to enjoy your blanched asparagus is with grapefruit and avocado.  Check out how I serve it or go right to Ina Garten's recipe for Grapefruit and Avocado Salad.  Ina's dressing is very similar and her salad tastes great with a side of blanched asparagus using her wonderful dressing.  Grapefruit is full of lycopene and Avocado is one of the 3 top vegetables (along with asparagus and water melon) for the triple amino acid, glutathion.

Healthy Goodness

 I've always wondered why asparagus inspires such a distinctive odor as you ... er... release your water in the water closet (OK, it makes your pee stink).  Here is a great article from Organic Authority that explains some of this.  In short, asparagine is an amino acid that helps you cleans your bod of waist and toxins.  It helps clean your kidneys (stones beware) and asparagus is super high in the following vitamins, nutrients and minerals:

Vitamin:  C, K, Folate, Thiamine, B6, & A

Minerals:  manganese, copper, phosphorus, potassium

Amino Acids:  high in glutathione - a small protein composed of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. 

Fiber:  lots of it.

Rutin:  according to the www.washintonasparagus.com, rutin is a bioflavanoid that helps circulation, especially to the lower limbs.

And in case you are wondering, asparagus is thought to be an aphrodisiac - specifically, because of "psycho-physiological" properties (it's shape inspires naughty thoughts).

Read more about asparagus on Organic Authority's web site.