It’s a Rainy, Rainy Day
Which is why we take extra photos on our sunny day walkabouts. Everything’s coming up… tulips.
In This Issue:
• Haute Couture Radishes
• Introducing Contributing Chef Abra Berens
• Recipe: Roasted Radishes with Their Greens and White Wine
• Take a Quiz
Haute Couture Radishes
What Is It and What Do You Do With It: French Breakfast Radishes
Les radis de petit-déjeneur français sont délicieux.
Mon dieu! I ate French breakfast radishes and instantly became fluent in French.
OK, so that’s totally untrue. French breakfast radishes are, in fact, delicious. And while they are less known than the more conventional radishes we grew up with, there are a number of farms in our region that produce French breakfast radishes in abundance.
What Is It? According to the Specialty Produce website, “French Breakfast radish can be round in root shape but most are oblong and two to four inches in length. Whether round or cylindrical, the French Breakfast radish is known for its vibrant coloring which graduates from a vivid fuchsia-red to bright white at the tip. Topped with edible, leafy greens, French Breakfast radishes are very crisp and offer a mildly spicy flavor. Grilling or oven roasting will bring out the subtly sweet and nutty flavor of the French Breakfast radish.” They are milder than most radishes, which is why the French became fond of them for breakfast or snacking.
What Do You With It? Radishes, including the French Breakfast, are very versatile, and can be roasted, pan-grilled, eaten raw (plain, salted or in salads), used as a sandwich garnish, pickled and more. The next item is a recipe for pan-roasted radishes, which also introduces the marvelous Abra Berens of Michigan’s Granor Farm, who will be a frequent contributor to Local Food Forum.
Why is It Good? Radishes, which are about 95 percent water, have just 16 calories per 100 grams (roughly one cup), no cholesterol, 16 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C, and contributory amounts of fiber, Vitamin B6, folate and other nutrients.
Eating the Rainbow: Radishes are red. Their edible (and delicious) greens are… green. Nutrition scientists urge that we all “eat the rainbow” — meaning a mix of different color produce — because the colors represent different phytonutrients that contribute to health.
Pan-Roasted Radishes With Greens & White Wine
I am totally honored that our friend Abra Berens has agreed to contribute recipes and other content to Local Food Forum.
I have known Abra since she become the founding chef at the café located in the Local Foods retail store in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. A Michigan native and then co-owner of a farm near Traverse City, Abra in 2017 became chef for Granor Farm in Three Oaks, located about 75 miles from Chicago in southwest Michigan.
Abra soon achieved regional recognition for the amazing seven-course farm dinners she created, then gained national acclaim with the 2019 publication of Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables (Chronical Books), which provided mouth-watering seasonal recipes for 24 varieties of veggies. These two achievements led to a third: The James Beard Foundation in 2020 nominated her not only for best cookbook, but also for Best Chef Great Lakes — an exceeding rare distinction for a non-restaurant chef.
She is graciously allowing us to republish recipes from Ruffage through the season and has added Granor Farm to the list of growers participating in our Seasons of Change program. She participated in a typically thoughtful interview yesterday that I’ll turn into an article next week. And good news, Abra fans: The farm dinners, cancelled last summer due to COVID, will be back… and she is putting the finishing touches on a new cookbook on preparing small grains to be released this fall.
Without further adieu, here is Abra’s recipe for Pan-Roasted Radishes with Their Greens and White Wine.
Abra recommends that this recipe be served hot from the pan. I decided to hold off and warm the French Breakfast Radishes (from Nichols Farm and Orchard in Illinois) with sauteed River Valley Ranch mushrooms (Wisconsin) atop rustic bread from Hewn bakery in Evanston, Illinois. They are, after all, breakfast radishes.
Take a Quiz
Scientists believe the radish originated in which part of the world?
a) Southeast Asia
b) Russia
c) Central Europe
d) Brooklyn
Answer: a) Wild and then cultivated varieties spread across Asia more than 2,000 years ago and were recorded in Europe by the 1st century A.D.