This week
we have spring garlic and radishes coming in locally.
Green
garlic (also called spring garlic) is one of the first seasonal items to pop up
in farmer's markets come March or April and sticks around until May. The
immature garlic bulbs and edible green stalks have an amazing nutty-onion
flavor that is great fresh or cooked.
Substitute
green garlic in recipes for onions, scallions or leeks. The young, tender
cloves don't need to be peeled before chopping. Slice and use in potato salad
or mince and stir into salad dressings. Toss some in a stir-fry, on a pizza, or
in soups. The light garlicky flavor enhances dishes without overpowering. One
stalk and bulb of spring garlic is equivalent to a small onion, or a leek and
one clove of mature garlic.
Jasmine Rice with Spring
Garlic
3 TBS extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 c. Jasmine Rice, rinsed
1 1/4 c. thinly sliced spring garlic
3 c. chicken stock
1 TBS kosher salt
Preheat oven to 375. In a medium cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the rice and spring garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until the rice is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil uncovered for 5 minutes, until the liquid is nearly absorbed. Cover the rice and bake for 10 minutes, until it is tender but firm and the liquid is completely absorbed. Let the rice stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, transfer to a bowl and serve.
Carrot and Radish Salad
1 bunch of small
carrots
4 radishes
1 small handful of
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
really good olive oil
apple cider vinegar
finely ground sea salt
freshly ground black
pepper
1/2 teaspoon of butter
a pinch of sugar
Gently scrub the
carrots to remove any dirt. There is no need to peel these smallish carrots.
Cut them into slices, across the carrot, on a bias, about 1/4″ thick.
Using a mandoline or
Japanese slicer, cut the radishes really thinly into slices.
Put the carrots in a
large saute pan. Put enough cold water into the pan to almost cover the
carrots. Add the butter to this, and the pinch of sugar. Put a lid on the pan,
and get it boiling over a high heat. Once boiling, remove the lid. Let this
boil until the liquid has reduced right down, and the carrots are almost cooked
through. The aim of this is to judge things perfectly. You have it spot on when
the carrots are just about cooked through, and the liquid in the pan has been
reduced right down to just a glaze on the carrots. If you find you have too
much liquid in the pan, tip some of it out as it is cooking. The pan dries out
before the carrots are cooked? Add a little more water. It might take a couple
of goes to get the perfect glaze, but it is really worth it.
Let the carrots cool a
little in the pan. When cooled, toss them in a bowl with the radish slices.
Toss in the parsley, and a generous serving of salt and freshly ground black
pepper. Add a good glug of olive oil, and a splash of of the cider vinegar.
I know, I am not giving you exact measurements. In this case you just cannot. The
amount of oil depends on how much carrots and radishes you have. The amount of
vinegar depends on this too, and how sharp your vinegar is. My suggestion is to
add a little vinegar to start, and give it a taste. If you cannot taste the
sharpness from the vinegar, then add a wee bit more. You can always add more,
but you can never take it out if you add too much!
Finally toss in the
parsley, and mix up. I like to let it sit for a few minutes before eating, just
to let all the flavors get friendly.
** The French really understand the radish. One classic is radishes with drinks. The radishes are halved on a slant, and set out with a pot of soft butter and another one of coarse salt. You run your radish through a little butter, then dip in the salt. Try it; it is dynamite.
** With both of my pregnancies, I craved radishes, the hotter the better! Tony could not get the bags of them home to me fast enough, and as I would cut the tops and bottoms of them off I would pop them right into my mouth...could never quite figure out what vitamin or mineral I needed that only radishes could provide to me!
** The French really understand the radish. One classic is radishes with drinks. The radishes are halved on a slant, and set out with a pot of soft butter and another one of coarse salt. You run your radish through a little butter, then dip in the salt. Try it; it is dynamite.
** With both of my pregnancies, I craved radishes, the hotter the better! Tony could not get the bags of them home to me fast enough, and as I would cut the tops and bottoms of them off I would pop them right into my mouth...could never quite figure out what vitamin or mineral I needed that only radishes could provide to me!
