Beet Radish Salad

In addition to beets, radishes are particularly lovely this year, and I've been using them much more than I usually do. I used to just slice them and put them in tossed salads with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. I never much cared for them growing up. They're related to mustard and have a similar bite, to which I was particularly sensitive when I was younger. I could eat the occasional one I encountered in the salad, but I would have been just as happy if they'd been left out.

My taste buds toughened up over time, and I discovered that in addition to the heat, radishes had a flavor that I found pleasant, and I started putting them in my salads because I liked their presence, rather than just because it was a habit from childhood. The green market also introduced me to other types, like the milder french breakfast, which was the first time I used the radish as one of the main ingredients instead of an accent.

While I was experimenting with the beets and trying to find what other vegetables would complement them, I thought radishes might brighten up the more earthy taste. I was right. This was delicious served over a bed of the baby green lettuce I also found at the market.

I used both red and orange beets here. Obviously, any combination will do.

Home Cookin Chapter: My Recipes

BEET AND RADISH SALAD

2 bunches of baby beets, trimmed, boiled for about 20-30 minutes, peeled and chopped.
(Detailed instructions can be found here.)
1 bunch radishes, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Baby green-leaved lettuce

Combine first six ingredients and toss in blood orange vinaigrette. Serve over baby lettuce leaves.

BLOOD ORANGE VINAIGRETTE:

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
juice from 1 blood orange
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, mashed (with salt)

Combine vinegar, blood orange juice and mustard in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk ingredients together, then slowly add the vegetable and olive oils, whisking steadily the whole time. Add the garlic (and salt and pepper to taste if you like). Taste, and adjust with more olive oil or vinegar if needed. Let stand at least half an hour before serving.

Exported from Home Cookin 5.6 (www.mountain-software.com)