Braised Red Radishes with Shallots
Tender and juicy, these beautiful radishes are accented by fresh parsley and balsamic vinegar.
Ingredients:
1 bunch radishes
3 large shallots
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup chicken stock or water
½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Thoroughly wash radishes. On a cutting board, trim each radish top, leaving about ½-inch of the green stem for color. Slice each radish in half from top to bottom. Peel shallots and slice into thin rings.
2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it has melted, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they begin to brown slightly. Add the radishes, placing each cut-side down in the skillet. Let them cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes or until the bottoms just start to color.
3. Add the balsamic vinegar and the water or stock (the liquid should just come up around the sides of the radishes). Cover, lower heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Remove the cover and continue to simmer for about 3-4 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced into a syrupy sauce. Add the parsley and sauté for about a minute, until wilted.
Pea Shoot & Microgreen Salad with Hazelnuts
This stellar salad from Food & Wine is beautifully balanced with peppery microgreens and sweet pea shoots.
Ingredients:
½ cup hazelnuts
1½ tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon minced shallot
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound combined microgreens and pea shoots
2 large radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, cored and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate and toast until they are fragrant and the skins blister, about 14 minutes. Transfer the toasted hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and let cool slightly, then vigorously rub the nuts together to remove the skins. Coarsely chop the nuts.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the Champagne vinegar with the Dijon mustard, honey and minced shallot. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and whisk until blended. Season the vinaigrette with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the microgreens, pea shoots, radishes, fennel and chopped hazelnuts and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Quick-Pickled Watermelon Radishes
These quick and easy pickled watermelon radishes add bright flavor to all sorts of dishes, along with a beautiful burst of color.
Ingredients:
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup water
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
8-10 medium to large watermelon radishes, peeled and sliced thinly crosswise
Method:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar until sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Add the radishes and toss to coat. Lay a clean paper towel on the surface to keep the radishes submerged. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes before serving. Pickled radishes can be packed into a jar with their brine and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
The Italian Spring Recipes
This week’s lineup combines a bevy of fresh spring produce—from verdant greens to vibrant red radishes—with the soulful flavors of Italy, also including smoky, nitrate-free bacon, fresh bucatini pasta, and silky duck eggs that are all begging to star in pasta carbonara for supper (see the enclosed recipe suggestions for that one!). Also including fun Italian-style pantry provisions such as pillowy focaccia bread, farmstead Caciotta cheese and soft amaretti cookies with chocolate, as well as spring daffodils, this box will transport you abroad, all without leaving your very own kitchen. Mangia!
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Duck Egg Carbonara Pasta with Bacon
Creamy and indulgent, simple and satisfying, this classic-style carbonara dish gets an added boost from this week’s silky duck eggs.
Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter & Lemon
The sweet, nutty brown butter here lends a beautiful finishing touch.
Italian Parsley-Caper Vinaigrette
This adaptation of the pungent vinaigrette from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables is magical drizzled over roasted vegetables or spring greens!
Sweet Onion Confit
This buttery-sweet topping is wonderful in sandwiches or even atop crackers.
Arugula Pesto
Stash this bright, zippy pesto in your freezer to add to the likes of pastas, soups or even roasted vegetables.
