An assortment of radishes fresh from the market.
This is one of those recipes that relies on the quality of the produce. In late fall and early winter, more and more varieties of radishes start showing up. When choosing your radishes make sure they are firm and feel heavy. You can use any type of radish you can find. Use a variety, change it up, and make it yours. There are many types of radishes out there. I love to use the watermelon radish, which is named because of how it looks when cut into. The outside is green and the inside has a mixture of red with some speckles representing seeds. It’s a beautiful radish with a mild peppery flavor. Look for black radishes, red radishes, white, and watermelon radishes at a farmer’s markets and farm stands.
Winter Radieschen
winter radishes with orange and tarragon
SERVES FOUR
4 or 5 medium sized assorted radishes
1 bunch of tarragon
1 orange
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon walnut oil (if you don’t have this substitute with another tablespoon of grapeseed)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons walnuts, crushed
1/4 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled
freshly ground black pepper
Start by mixing the vinaigrette. In a small bowl combine the white wine vinegar, salt, sugar, and oil. Whisk together and set aside.
Take the tarragon and pull the leaves off of the stem. You don’t need to chop this, instead leaving it whole. Take half of the leaves and add it to the vinaigrette.
If you have watermelon radishes and black radishes you want to peel them. You don’t have to peel a lot off of it but you want to remove a little of the outside. If using small red radishes or breakfast radishes you don’t need to peel them.
A mandoline works great here. You want to slice the radishes as thin as possible. Once you have the radishes sliced put them in a bowl large enough for all of them leaving a little bit of room to toss the dressing in it.
For the orange you’ll want to peel the skin off. Use a small paring knife and carefully cut away the peel and the white pith. Slice the orange as you would a tomato, removing any seeds. Add this to the bowl with the radishes.
Add the vinaigrette to the radishes and oranges and toss to coat evenly. Let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the flavors.
Serve it in a bowl and top it with the crushed walnuts, crumbled goat cheese and a generous amount of black pepper freshly ground on top.
