I'm not a huge radish fan, but I got suckered in by all the seed catalogs and felt the intense need to buy radish seeds of all kinds as if I needed them. Maybe I had a craving for pickles at the time- I'm betting I went out, bought some daikon, made the pickles, and got over it. But a few weeks later the seeds came and I dutifully planted them. 

These are by far one of the most beautiful plants I have ever grown, and now I think I haven't given the radish family enough credit. Radishes are AMAZING!!

The only problem is, my radish repertoire is pretty limited. In a Persian salad, in a regular salad, on an open faced sandwich. Daikon, or icicle radish, I always use to make Korean pickles. I did an internet search and didn't find much. Specialtyproduce.com had an interesting blurb on the history of radishes in China, along with a proverb I liked: "Eating pungent radish and drinking hot tea, let the starved doctors beg on their knees." Cute, but it hardly made it sound more appetizing. The root is a stunning red, and sliced it is a work of art. Raw, it was definitely on the spicy side. 

My friend recommended a Chinese instant pot recipe that looked really good. I didn't have pork spare ribs, which would have been exceptional, but I used pork steaks instead and added in the greens. Cooked, the leaves and root couldn't have been more mild. More like a sweet turnip, absolutely no spiciness. I lost the link to the recipe! I had hoped to use it again in the fall with spare ribs, but now I'll have to research it all over again. Not a tragedy. 

I will certainly grow this again in the fall!

I owe this bit of genius to my baby sister. It was the result of a low-carb phase during a Persian salad streak. I am never excited by the idea of a radish, but this is one of those light, refreshing mixes that you can't stop eating. Leftovers the next day are still good. Refresh it with a light sprinkle of salt and another squeeze of lime, and eat it next to an omelette or buttered toast. 

Ingredients:
radishes
green onions or a shallot
parsley or cilantro or a mixture
lemon or lime 
olive oil
feta cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
If you are using a shallot, slice it thinly and put it in the salad bowl with a little salt and lemon or lime juice while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. If you use green onion, slice it thinly. Cut up the radishes any way you like. I used my new benriner, and even though I felt a little ridiculous putting that much effort into it, the results were beautiful. Chop up the herbs and toss it all together. Add a drizzle of olive oil, plenty of lemon or lime juice, and lots of feta cheese. Taste it and season it with salt and pepper. 

The salad is now perfect as is, but if you have any leftover roasted vegetables, toss them in. Last night I had a roasted beet and a bulb or two of roasted fennel. Roasted cauliflower improves any salad. Give it a try!