When early spring (finally) rolls around, I’m yearning for those highly anticipated spring vegetables — ramps, fiddleheads, peas, asparagus, artichokes, leeks, spring onions, green garlic, etc. However, we’re still a few weeks out, at least here in my neck of the woods — the Mid-Atlantic, East Coast that is.
Snagged some spring radishes, even though I don’t find radishes all that exciting. Maybe you slice some up and throw ’em in a salad for added crunch and pleasing, slightly bitter pepperiness [my favorite radish for a salad is watermelon radish, with its hint of sweetness, thinly shaved on a mandoline]. Beyond that, I don’t give radishes all that much love.
But, have you ever thought about roasting radishes?? No? Until recently, me either. It’s interesting, when you give rashes a brief roast in the oven, around 10 minutes at 425F, simply tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, the heat mellows them out, taming their bite, while retaining most of their crunch/crispness.
I layered the roasted radishes on a bed of tangy, whipped Greek feta, leeks sautéed in a little butter, and finished the dish with a sprinkling of green zá’atar, an interesting Middle Eastern spice blend of toasted sesame seeds, sea salt, thyme, savory and freshly ground sumac berries from my friends at Raw Spice Bar. This was one of the most tasty presentations of radishes I’ve ever had. I might even go so far as to say that I’ve developed a newfound affinity for radishes. Hope you do as well.
Decided to make a whole brunch thing out of it, with shirred eggs, essentially eggs baked in the oven with cream. I used duck eggs and folded in some fresh tarragon (eggs and tarragon are a classic pairing) and chives from the garden into the cream along with a bit of whatever cheese I had in the fridge — in this case, a combination of smoked mozzarella and freshly grated Parmesan. Not a bad way to start off a leisurely Sunday; more leisurely still if someone else was doing the cooking, or at least the cleaning 🙂
Roasted Radish with Whipped Feta
Adapted from Great British Chefs
For the Roasted Radishes:
1 to 1 1/4 pounds radishes (such as red radish, purple radish, French breakfast radish), with the leaves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 425F. Halve the radishes and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes until tender but still retaining some crunch.
For the Leeks:
2 small-medium leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a frying pan and allow to go brown over medium heat. Add the leeks and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes.
For the Whipped Feta (can prepare in advance):
4 ounces, feta cheese
1 small garlic clove, crushed to a paste
2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Squeeze of half a lemon to taste
Place the feta, garlic, yogurt, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth.
To serve:
Drizzle of olive oil
Sprinkling of zá atar
Layer the whipped feta on a plate. Top with the sautéed leeks and roasted radish (and a few radish greens if you like). Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of zá atar.
Shirred Eggs with Tarragon and Chives
Butter, for greasing your pan (I used a 6 1/2-inch cast iron skillet, though you could also use a small gratin or casserole)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (used a combination of tarragon and chives), plus some extra chives for garnish
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Salt and pepper
3 duck or chicken eggs
Preheat oven to 375F. Generously butter your skillet.
Add the cream, herbs, cheese and salt and pepper. Whisk with a fork to combine. Crack the eggs on top. Place in the oven and bake until the whites are set but yolks still runny, about 15 minutes. Keep a close eye, depending on the type of pan/dish you use, cooking times might vary.
Top with some chopped chives. Serve with some crusty bread for scooping up the creamy eggs.
