As we are wading through the dog days of summer, lethargy has set and I have not posted in a while.  Veggie Sutra’s passion for brassicas has however continued unabated, and I even baked some savory broccoli muffins to take along with us for our July 4th road trip to Truckee and North Lake Tahoe.  I clicked pictures but forgot to write down the recipe.  Well, next time!

 

 

Speaking of Tahoe, aren’t we lucky to live in California where one really does not have to go very far to get away?  Due to the enormous amount of snow we were blessed with last winter, the Sierras were absolutely gorgeous.  Year after year during the drought, my heart would sink when I saw dead brown trees all over the mountain-scape.  Within one winter of good rains, the whole place has transformed in to a beautiful lush, green forest.  As we drove past the breathtaking scenery, we saw black specks teeming on the white slopes – people skiing in 80 degree weather presumably in their shorts!

 

 

Coming back to the blog, last week I finished reading “Culinary Intelligence – The Art of Eating Healthy and Really Well” by Peter Kaminsky.  And that is what kicked me out of my lethargy / writer’s block / whatever.  The book is a tantalizing ode to all cooks everywhere, and plea to everyone to develop basic cooking skills for the sake of one’s health.

Peter Kaminsky assures us that we do not have to eat bland, unappetizing foods to stay healthy, rather with a little culinary skill and an understanding of flavors, one can eat well and live well.   I do highly recommend reading the book. Though a lot of Peter Kaminsky’s observations seem obvious (like avoiding processed foods), he peppers it with fun stories from his career as a food writer which makes those obvious facts memorable.  Once he establishes what an important role cooking plays in staying healthy, he moves on to the topic of breaking down cooking in to a very simple process, starting with getting the best ingredients.

To summarize, Culinary Common sense is listed as follows in “Culinary Intelligence”:

1. Don’t eat processed foods.
2. Buy the best, most full-flavored ingredients you can afford.
3. Make those ingredients even better by cooking

Speaking of ingredients, a bunch of beautiful round radishes always makes my heart sing.  Radishes are part of the brassica family and there are a few dozen varieties of radishes, all with a distinctive characteristic and flavor, some biting, and some mellow.

 

 

Daikon radish, the most commonly found radish in the markets in California, also available pretty much year round in the farmers markets, was featured in an earlier post in an Asian-flavor inspired Daikon radish salad.  This week, I chose round red radishes because their small size lends well to braising whole or halved.  V was upset that I did not serve these beauties raw, in a salad, as I sometimes do, and instead subjected them to heat and flame.  But in the end, life is about variety and these braised radishes make a rather beautiful side dish.

 

 

Recipe for Braised Round Red Radishes

[Printable recipe]

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 3 bunches of round red radishes with the greens
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 small onions / shallots, minced fine
• water
• Salt and white/black pepper to taste

Method:

• Separate the greens from the radishes leaving a bit of stem on the radishes.   Wash the green thoroughly by dunking in a few changes of cold water.  Chop the greens roughly and set aside.  Snip just the tail of the radishes and scrub them.
• If the radishes are small, you can leave them whole.  If not, half or quarter them.
• Heat the butter in a wide saute pan.   Add the minced onion and saute for 5-10 minutes until slightly browned
• Add the radishes to the pan and toss to coat.
• Add about half a cup of water and bring to a simmer.   Add salt and pepper.  Then lower the heat all the way down, cover and cook for around 10-15 minutes until a knife goes through the radish easily but it is not falling apart.
• Add the greens and cook with lid on for 3-5 mins until the greens have wilted.
• Remove with a slotted spoon as much of the radishes, onions and greens as possible in to a serving dish, just leaving the liquid in the pan
• Increase the heat and simmer for a few minutes until the liquid reduces to about half the quantity
• Add a splash of apple cider vinegar optionally and pour over the radishes
• You can serve the radishes over grains like brown rice or quinoa as well to make a complete meal