The share from Glade Road Growing for election day (or Friday, if you pick your veggies up at the farm) includes black Spanish radishes.
Radishes are annuals in the Brassica family. This variety is also known as Gros Noir d’Hiver, Noir Gros de Paris and the Black Mooli. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and said to help fight off infection and promote healthy digestive and liver functions.
Sharp in flavor raw (similar to horseradish), you can cut them into match sticks or grate them and add them to salads or yogurt. You can pickle them or you can slice them thin to serve with dips. To tone down the heat of radishes, peel, slice, salt and rinse with water prior to using.
They gain some sweetness when roasted or sautéd and braised. They can be served as a side dish or added to soups, stir-fries and stews. The greens are also edible and can be prepared in recipes calling for kale or turnip greens.
After experimenting a bit, I decided my favorite way to eat them is as chips. Here is my recipe for crisp chips. Clotilde Dusoulier notes in her recipe that if you slice them thicker, you'll get a softer version.
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Ingredients:
Black radishes
1 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
For a curried chip, you can substitute the following for the vinegar:
3/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon of paprika.
If you don't like vinegar chips or curry chips, just use olive oil and salt.
Instructions:1. Cut off the greens and reserve for another use. Scrub the radishes and slice as thin as possible. In a large bowl, toss the slices with a olive oil and sea salt. For flavored chips add either the balsamic vinegar or the curry spices (or make two batches so you can have both.)
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or aluminum foil). Placed the radish slices on a cooling rack on top of the baking dish.
4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the chips are crinkled around the edges. Be careful not to burn them.
5. After the cooking is finished, the radishes will continue to crisp as they cool.
