Recipes: Radish rumaki

Serves 4.

Note: Radishes are a nice addition to roasted root vegetables. Roasting them mellows their heat and softens their texture. When they are freshly plucked from the earth, their greens are spicy and pungent when eaten raw. Older greens can be added to stir fries, just as you would use spinach or kale. Sambel oelek is available in the Asian section of many supermarkets. From Patrice Johnson.

• 16 red radishes

• 8 to 12 slices center-cut bacon, halved

• 16 to 24 toothpicks, soaked in water 30 minutes

• 1/3 c. ketchup

• 1/3 c. maple syrup

• 1 tbsp. sambel oelek (Thai chili paste) or other hot sauce (see Note)

• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Halve large radishes; keep medium-size (1/2-inch diameter) radishes whole. Wrap each radish with half slice of bacon and secure bacon with toothpick.

Place wire rack inside of parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Spray rack with nonstick spray and place radishes 1 inch apart on rack. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping radishes after the first 15 minutes.

Brush radishes liberally with sauce and return to oven. Cook additional 10 to 15 minutes or until bacon is crisp and radishes are sticky. Cool 5 minutes and serve with additional sauce.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories170Fat6 gSodium790 mg

Carbohydrates25 gSaturated fat2 gTotal sugars21 g

Protein6 gCholesterol16 mgDietary fiber0 g

Serves 9.

Note: If you are using radishes with fresh unblemished tops, chop up the green tops and add them to the initial sauté. Panko breadcrumbs are bigger and lighter than the traditional breadcrumb, which could be substituted. From Patrice Johnson.

• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing baking dish

• 1 large shallot, sliced very thin

• 3 garlic cloves, grated

• 2 c. red, French Breakfast or watermelon radishes, halved

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. pepper

• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

• Zest from 1 orange

• 1/2 c. shredded Gruyère cheese, divided

• 1 c. half-and-half

For the topping:

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs (see Note)

• 2 tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped

• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter bottom and sides of 8- by 8-inch baking dish (a 2-quart ceramic baking dish will also work).

In large sauté pan melt 1 tablespoon butter; add shallot and garlic and sauté over medium-high until shallots are translucent; about 3 minutes. Add fennel, radishes, salt, pepper, nutmeg and orange zest, and continue cooking until fennel is tender; about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add wine and reduce until wine is almost completely absorbed; about 5 minutes.

While gratin bakes, prepare topping: Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, breadcrumbs, ½ cup Gruyère, parsley and nutmeg so that mixture is uniformly mixed.

Remove foil from gratin and evenly spread breadcrumb mixture over the vegetables. Return uncovered casserole to oven, and bake additional 15 minutes or until breadcrumb mixture is golden and crisp. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories150Fat11 gSodium260 mg

Carbohydrates9 gSaturated fat7 gTotal sugars4 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, ½ high-fat protein, 1 ½ fat.

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: To make softboiled egg, place egg(s) in bottom of heavy pot and cover with cold water so that 1-inch of water is over the tops of the egg. Over high heat bring water to boil. Immediately cover the pot and remove from heat. Allow residual heat of the water to continue cooking the egg for 6 to 8 minutes, then submerge egg in ice water and cool completely before peeling. From Patrice Johnson.

• 2 large russet potatoes, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb., peeled and quartered

• Salt

• 2 small Persian cucumbers (or 1 English cucumber, seeded), sliced very thin

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1/2 c. diced radish (use red, watermelon, or Black Spanish)

• 1 crisp and tart apple (such as Honeycrisp, SweeTango, Granny Smith), peeled, cored and diced

• 1/4 c. red onion, diced

• 3 green onions, sliced thin

• 6 tbsp. mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp. soy sauce

• 3 tsp. horseradish (or 1 tsp. wasabi)

• 1 tsp. pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with water and add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to boil over high heat and simmer until potatoes are quite tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and place in mixing bowl. Add buttermilk and mash to lumpy texture. Set aside to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Toss cucumbers in 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon salt, and set aside for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze liquid from cucumbers.

In very large mixing bowl, combine cucumbers, radishes, apple, onion, egg, mayo, vinegar, soy sauce, horseradish, 1 teaspoon sugar and pepper. Fold into cooled potatoes and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Calories230Fat12 gSodium530 mg

Carbohydrates30 gSaturated fat2 gTotal sugars7 g

Protein4 gCholesterol40 mgDietary fiber4 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 starch, 1 carbs, 2 ½ fat.

Serves 8.

For the vinaigrette:

• Juice of 1 lime (about 3 to 4 tbsp.)

• 3 tbsp. rice vinegar

• 2 tbsp. peanuts, crushed plus more for garnish (or 1 tbsp. peanut butter)

• 1 tbsp. soy sauce

• 3 tsp. honey

• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

• 2 tsp. sesame oil

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1/4 tsp. fish sauce (see Note)

For the salad:

• 2 c. daikon radish, use spiralizer or vegetable peeler to shave into thin strips

• 2 c. mixed greens

• 2 c. bok choy, chopped

• 1 c. carrots, sliced thin

• 1 c. mango, sliced thin

• 1 c. cucumber, sliced thin

• 1/4 c. red onion, sliced thin

• 1 jalapeño, deveined and seeded, sliced thin

• 1/2 c. mixed fresh herbs (such as cilantro, green onion, Thai basil, mint)

For the vinaigrette: Whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons peanuts, soy sauce, sambel oelek, honey, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, fish sauce and vegetable oil, until emulsified.

For the salad: Combine daikon radish, mixed greens, bok choy, carrots, red pepper, mango, cucumber, red onion, jalapeño and most of herbs. Toss with ¾ cup vinaigrette. Garnish with remaining herbs and additional peanuts.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories120Fat8 gSodium150 mg

Carbohydrates12 gSaturated fat1 gTotal sugars8 g