While perusing the local shop’s selection of veggies the other day, I came across the most beautiful radishes. They were bright red-pink with white and tied in bundles with their leafy green tops. So pretty. I was inspired to buy a couple of bundles and see what I could come up with to make the most of this gorgeous seasonal veg. So in the spirit of this radish adventure, this week is all about radishes.
After a day of radish immersion, I ended up with an array of radish-y pink and green dishes. Along with today’s recipe for radish potato soup, I also made a lovely rice dish with the greens (look out for that one on Friday), radish leaf crisps -which I made using the same method as I did with these nettle crisps a couple of weeks ago, except with barbecue seasoning– and I even cooked and then blitzed some radish into puree and made a radish berry smoothie with it, which was delightful!
So are radishes worth the fuss? Yes indeed!
Radishes are a nutritional goldmine! Along with broccoli and cabbage, radishes are a cruciferous vegetable. Among veggies, this group, across the board, provide the highest level of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and fiber, with radishes also high in potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. They also boast anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. So nutritious is the humble radish in fact, that ayurvedic tradition recommends their daily consumption!
Here are just a few of the known benefits and properties of radishes:
- Highly detoxifying
- Natural decongestant
- Anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antiseptic and antipyretic
- Supports a healthy immune system
- Supports healthy digestion
- Helps to lower blood-pressure
- Helps to regulate metabolism
Plus… they’re delicious and very pretty! There’s an excellent article here at Organic Facts that has a more complete list and explanation of this powerful little veggie.
To the radish potato soup!! I saw a picture ages ago of radish soup on pinterest, and it’s been stashed away in the back of my mind ever since. I have wondered what it would be like, as it’s not something I would have thought to do with radishes for some reason. The soup is really really lovely. Everything about it is gentle. It’s a really pretty soft pink colour, and its flavour is very delicate and mild. I made up a big batch of it so that I could freeze some, and I might do the same again before radish season comes to an end, as it would be lovely to have some on hand during the fall.
Well that’s it for the great radish adventure part 1, but look out for a delicious radish greens recipe on Friday. Until then I hope you find inspiration in this gorgeous veg too!!
- 200g radishes or about 1 cup, roughly chopped
- 200g young potatoes, about 5 or 6, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 small brown onion, roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp oil such as rapeseed
- 500 ml or 1 3/4 cups water (or vegetable stock if you’d prefer more flavour)
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Seasoning to taste
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and radishes and cook, mixing frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the onions and radishes are beginning to become translucent.
- Add the potatoes and water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and leave the soup to simmer until the veggies are all very soft, about 25-30 minutes.
- Blitz the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender, until the soup is smooth and creamy. Stir in the nutmeg, and season to taste.
- Reheat if needed, and serve topped with some fresh radish and maybe some radish leaf crisps.
- This is a lovely soup to experiment with. Try replacing the water with stock or milk, and try adding an apple or some celery to the mix for a bit of a twist!