Love:

When I was working on my last post I was surprised I hadn’t posted a recipe using radishes! When I was a kid I ate them straight up with just a sprinkling of salt. As an adult I have ventured out and braised them (delish), smeared them with butter and a sprinkling of salt and now this recipe, Radish Top Soup w/ Lemon. I was delighted to find this recipe in my new book ‘Vegetable Literacy’ by Deborah Madison (lovingly given to me by my friend Kim). Do to all the rain we are having this recipe is the perfect spring soup, it is light and has a bright flavor perfect for this time of year. This is also the perfect time to plant radishes in your garden if you haven’t all ready. Now you will have a reason to save those tops and make this soup. I served this wonderful soup along side baked Sea Bass over wilted Arugula. Enjoy!

Food:

Radish Top Soup w/ Lemon serves 6

4-8 cups radish tops (I used the tops off two bunches of radishes)

1 T. butter or olive oil (I used ghee)

1 onion sliced (I used half a large yellow onion and one large leek)

1 large russet potato (about 1lb.) scrubbed, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

4 c. water or chicken stock (I used homemade veggie stock)

1/4 c. parsley (not in recipe but I added it just at the end for color and bright flavor)

-Finishing Touches-

juice of lemon

salt and pepper

yogurt

few tablespoons thinly julienned radishes

Direction:

1. Sort through the radish tops, tearing off and discarding any thick stems that don’t have much leafy material and discarding any leaves that are less than vibrant.

2. Melt butter in a wide soup pot over medium heat. Add onion slices, lay the potato slices over (I salted and peppered just a bit) them and cook several minutes without disturbing them while the pan warms up. Then give the onion and potato slices a stir, cover the pan and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, giving the vegetables an occasional shove around the pan. The pan should take on a nice brown glaze from the onions. Add two teaspoons salt and liquid of choice and bring to a boil, scraping the pan to dislodge any of the glaze.

3. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until potatoes are tender and falling apart, about 15 min. Add radish greens (I sautéed my radish greens in 1 teaspoon of ghee and 1 teaspoon of Toum a garlic condiment, salt and pepper just a bit, then didn’t add them until it was time to puree) to the pot and cook long enough for them to wilt and go from bright to darker green, which takes just a few minutes.

4. Let the soup cool slightly, then puree it, greens and all (this is when  I added the sautéed radish tops, juice of one lemon and 1/4 c. parsley) leaving it a bit rough if you like some texture or making it smooth if you prefer, then return soup to the pot. Check for seasoning. Ladle soup into bowls and stir in a spoonful of yogurt into each bowl (I didn’t do this). Scatter the julienned radishes over the top. (I added a drizzle of olive oil to finish.)

Nutrition:

Radish Greens- Radish leaves contain almost six times the vitamin C of the root and are also a good source of vitamins. In India the greens are used for vitamin C deficiency, a diuretic, a as expectorant, to treat gastric discomfort and as a laxative. Read more about radishes in my last post, The Best Bang for your Bite- Spring Edition.