Here is this week’s harvest. The beetroot and turnips are not quite ready to pick. Being absent part of the week means that sometimes I have veg mature whilst away and feel guilty returning to flowering broccoli. Anyway, tonight is rump steak with roasted root veg, braised radishes (an experiment) and broccoli. Just a warning on the broccoli. If it’s home grown, don’t think you’re safe just by washing it. I’d recommend banging (or rather, bashing) it against the side of the kitchen sink. It can be alarming the number of green grubs that emerge. You may embrace a more holistic approach to gardening and cooking, but I don’t. And the thought of blending them in a Cream of Broccoli soup does not appeal.

I love my radishes. I always look forward to Summer and buying a bunch of these ruby jewels. I didn’t realise how easily they grow from seed year round. Since being at the Convent, I have continually planted out radishes. The main problem has been that they don’t make it to the kitchen – I just pick them, dust them off and eat them on the spot.

Originally I planted the more traditional Cherry radish variety, but have since added ‘French Breakfast’ which is a more elongated version – lovely and tender. In my efforts to maintain the radish supply, I have planted them in a ‘few’ places. I don’t do things by halves – I’m sure there is some obsessive compulsive personality disorder lurking not far from the surface, but the outcome for radishes is that I have lots that are growing really quickly, so have been looking for ways to consume them other than gobbling them in the garden during Winter.

Whilst there seems to be a plentiful supply of recipe suggestions for raw radishes, there seems to be a more limited range for cooking them. They are a root vegetable, so I think cooking them in Winter is a reasonable approach. After some exploration, I have decided to try the following:

Braised Radishes

Ingredients

• Radishes – of course
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Brown sugar
• Stock – chicken or vegetable
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Pick and wash radishes – trim the roots and top so you have a little length of each.

Put the radishes in a pan along with stock, butter and olive oil, as well as a heaped teaspoon of brown sugar. I used a cup of chicken stock and approx. 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil.

Simmer uncovered to reduce stock.

When well reduced, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

If the radishes appear tender and cooked but you still have heaps of liquid, remove radishes and turn up heat on sauce to reduce to more of a glaze, re-add radishes, heat and cover with glaze to serve.

Result = Delicious

Next radish recipe may try roasting/braising with honey.