Magnificent News: Eat Voraciously: The radical, ravishing radish

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Here's what's for dinner tonight.

By G. Daniela Galarza

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The radical, ravishing radish

It's time we talked about cooking with radishes. It's true, you can cook radishes! Throw them on a roasting pan for a quick, crisped vegetable side dish, simmer them in stews, where they'll absorb all of the savory flavors, or — for the silkiest treatment — braise them in butter.

This dish, for butter-braised radishes and their greens in a pilaf-style farro, comes to us via "The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook" by Linda Ly. It's remarkably simple and yet makes a meal bursting with flavors and textures.

Check nearby farmers markets — or your garden! — for the freshest radishes with unblemished green tops. Any supermarket radish will do, but try to seek out a few in-season bunches if you can. And if radishes aren't your thing, I've got tips on how to adapt this recipe, below.

Today's recipe

Photos by Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post

Butter-Braised Radishes and Radish Greens With Farro

Not into radishes? >> Use this technique on Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, parsnips, cabbage or sweet potatoes, and use spinach or chopped baby kale instead of their greens.
Out of farro? >> Make couscous, fonio or buckwheat instead.
I would not skip the feta here >> but you could replace it with goat cheese, dollops of labneh or shaved Manchego.

Make Ahead: The farro can be cooked and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months before use.

Storage Notes: The finished dish can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost and rewarm on the stovetop or microwave, or serve at room temperature.

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Servings: 4
Active time: 25 mins
Total time: 40 mins

Ingredients

1 cup (about 7 ounces) farro, rinsed
1 pound radishes with greens
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (may substitute vegan butter, such as Miyoko's or Earth Balance)
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Steps

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the farro, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the farro is tender but still pleasantly chewy, about 30 minutes. Drain the farro, cover, and keep warm over low heat.

2. While the farro is simmering, trim the greens from the radishes. Rinse the radishes, and wash and dry the greens. Coarsely chop the greens and cut the radishes in half.

3. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the radishes in a single layer, cut sides down, and cook, undisturbed, until the bottoms start to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir, then add the broth, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid is at a simmer, cover, and cook until the radishes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Uncover, return the heat to medium-high, and stir in the radish greens. Cook until they wilt and the liquid reduces slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the farro and toss to combine.

5. Drizzle with the vinegar, sprinkle with the feta and parsley, and serve warm.

Adapted from "The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook" by Linda Ly (Harvard Common Press, 2021). Tested by Joe Yonan.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 300; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Cholesterol: 32 mg; Sodium: 557 mg; Carbohydrates: 42 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 4 g; Protein: 9 g.