Roots, Radishes & Other Fall Delights
Reflections and Recipes
Fall has crept upon us stealthily this year, hiding at the fringes, perhaps too politely allowing the sun’s unshielded blaze to warm our October and November days, rendering them indistinguishable from those of late summer. In the golden afternoon light I hear the loud warning call of a blue jay as an industrious squirrel digs inside the terra cotta planters outside my kitchen window. Suddenly the temperatures have plunged and first frost, according to The Farmer’s Almanac, has more than likely hardened my small plot of garden soil. The dogwood, a deep crimson just last week, has entirely shed her leaves while the orange trumpet vine has adorned itself in yellow foliage as luminous as a spring forsythia. Remembering my childhood readings of Greek mythology, I consider the sadness Demeter must have felt when Hades dragged her daughter Persephone to the Underworld, how her sorrow caused all of the leaves and plants to shrivel and die until spring when Persephone was allowed to return. My inner dialectic responds to this western myth with words from eastern religions cited in a book I am reading by the British author Karen Armstrong. In their wisdom they remind me that when we maintain a close connection to nature we understand that it is never barren. The earth provides everything that we need when we take the time to notice and care for her, ourselves and each other. Delicious edible roots and plants still grow in colder climates just as date palms, agave plants and cactus fruits thrive in the driest desert. Where shall I begin?
Friends who follow my Instagram food blog have asked me where I find the beautiful vegetables I cook with. I usually answer that I forage from both my local greenmarket and my local supermarket, with a few side trips to Union Market or Whole Foods. Lately, however, I have been almost entirely exclusive with several farm stands at my beloved Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket in Brooklyn. Willow Wisp Organic Farm, which I first discovered while vacationing in the southern Catskills, is located on a heavenly green stretch of riverbed along the Delaware and favors biodiversity, using no pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. They grow over 40 kinds of vegetables, 20 kinds of herbs and 50 kinds of flowers. I owe them a debt of gratitude for introducing me to milky-sweet hakurei turnips, opulent bundles of crisp green and purple shiso, tart and bracing mustard spinach, pale green orbs of hot pink watermelon radishes and a variety of other beautiful, healthful and delicious edible plants.
Another of my favorites is Evolutionary Organics. Founded in 2003 by Kira Kinney, they farm over 20 acres of Certified Naturally Grown heirloom vegetables, baby greens, herbs and pasture-raised eggs out of New Paltz in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Kira’s farm sells only at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket and offers a CSA discount to members in Brooklyn and New Paltz. There I’ve discovered an incredible array of green curly, KN, Lacinato, purple and red Russian kale heaped among every conceivable variety of greens that you can imagine. When I last counted there were over five types of purple potato packed in milk crates alongside at least 15 other white, red or gold varietals. It is here that I beheld my first hyssop bouquet, which later made a soothing tea with a minty licorice-like flavor. Scarlet turnips, golden beets, deep green collards, sunflower sprouts, pea shoots - I never cease to be inspired here. With such quality and diversity, cooking beautiful, healthy food could not be easier. For those of you living in cities and having a hard time finding quality vegetables, I encourage you to explore your local grocers and greenmarkets. If you have access to a food co-op or CSA please consider joining. If you have what it takes to grow your own food, all the better. Those living outside urban areas might want to learn more about local farms and/or whole foods resources. There is such a surge in their popularity that it has never been easier to connect with organic growers and suppliers.
At the market I have loved watching these vegetal offerings change with the seasons, from summer’s corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers to fall’s earthy turnips, cabbages, rutabagas, pumpkins and squashes. Radishes, I have learned, never go out of season, growing year-round even in winter. This fall they have never been more plentiful - red and purple daikon, green meal and black Spanish among others, and I’ve learned increasingly new ways to enjoy their sharp bitter flavor. I use them raw in salads or I temper their pungency by slow-cooking, braising or roasting them to extract maximum sweetness and tenderness. If you haven’t tried roasting radishes, you’ll be pleasantly surprised! Creamy-soft inside and crisp on the outside, you can serve them with little more than a sprinkling of sea salt and some butter or with your very best oils - olive, walnut, hazelnut or even truffle. They also make crunchy and flavorful chips, which you can scatter over salads and entrees for a distinctive peppery bite. Radish tops should never be thrown away or even composted when they make such great pesto. Combine them with tender herbs and walnuts or hazelnuts, garlic and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil. In Asian cultures, radishes are often pickled or preserved which creates some of the richest and most beguiling flavorings I know of. In India the seeds and pods are especially prized and used in spicy bhajis and salads as well as stuffings for parathas. If you can get them try including them in your own salads, dumplings or stir fries. If you’re at all like me, you’ll want to experiment often with these gorgeous and versatile roots from the brassica family.
Zang Daqian (Chang Dai-chen, 1899-1963)
The origin of radishes is a botanical mystery. No records have been located that might shed light on their provenance. The only region where wild forms of radish have been found is in Southeast Asia, and it is therefore supposed that they came from Northern China where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. There are also historic records of radish cultivation in ancient Egypt, where they were fed to the slaves who built The Pyramids. In ancient Greece radishes were so revered that replicas of them were carved out of pure gold and offered at the Temple of Apollo. They have since been considered a native plant in Europe, easily sown and a year-round source of important nutrients. They were, for example, traditionally served as an accompaniment with beer in the Bavarian region of Germany as they were thought to boost strength. In 19th-century Lithuania, Ukraine, and northern Poland a classic Jewish dish of grated black radish, onion, salt and chicken fat was spread on rye or pumpernickel bread. It is said that black radishes were favored by the Maccabees and that is why they are used in some traditional Hanukah dishes. Radishes are recorded as one of the first crops introduced to the Americas by European settlers and Native Americans adopted them readily into their diet. Their name derives from the Latin radix meaning root, and they have long been used medicinally and for their oil. High in vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, folic acid, B6 and other important nutrients, they are known to have antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. They are also good for liver and gallbladder function and their juice has for centuries been used to treat kidney and gallstones. Their regular consumption promotes gut health and can clear congestion from allergies and common colds.
Monk in the Cloister Brewery with Beer Stein as Well as White and Red Radishes, 1889 by Eduard Grutzner
Here is a recipe for my turnip and radish top pesto:
1 bunch radish greens or a combination of radish and turnip greens
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
In a food processor combine everything but the olive oil and pulse until chopped but not smooth. Add the olive oil and pulse again until smooth but slightly chunky. If you are using Parmesan, add now and pulse until everything is blended.
and here are a few ideas for salads:
Purple daikon, mixed greens and pea shoot salad
Watermelon radish and salade vinaigrette
Asian-inspired salad with watermelon radishes and sesame
For holiday parties your friends and relatives will adore these pakora-fried radishes in chickpea batter with a coriander and cucumber dipping sauce. I tried them for the first time at The Orchard Townhouse in Chelsea and have never forgotten them. They are amazing!
Radish Pakoras
3/4 cup of chickpea flour
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
radishes of your choice, cut in halves or quarters
Combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk to ensure any lumps are broken up.
Slowly add about a cup of water to make a smooth paste, neither too watery nor too thick.
Fold in the radishes.
Heat your preferred frying oil (it should have a high burning point) on medium high until a small drizzle of batter puffs up and rises to the top, about two to three minutes.
Drop a tablespoon at a time of batter into the oil, giving each fritter enough space to expand so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry for two to three minutes on each side.
Remove pakoras with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with dipping sauce below.
Cucumber-Coriander Dipping Sauce
1 small cucumber
1 small bunch of coriander leaves
1/2 cup yogurt
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled
Peel and cut cucumber into chunks.
Pulse everything but the olive oil in a food processor until chopped and combined.
Pulse some more while slowly adding the olive oil until the consistency is of a thick sauce.
Sprinkle with cumin before serving in a bowl with the pakoras
Enjoy!
Joachim Camerarius, 1586