Roasted Radishes

I have to admit this recipe is a few weeks old, but it is too good and too simple not to share.

H and I are in our third year of garden attempts, and due to (what I think is) perfect placement as far as sunlight is concerned, raised beds, and a heck of a lot of critter proofing, this year is actually going pretty well. Third time is a charm, right? Our pumpkin, beans, cucumber, squash, and spinach seem to be coming along nicely, and we had a successful crop of peas and radishes a few weeks ago. Now, radishes are notoriously easy to grow, so this isn't a huge feat, but I am taking it as a good sign of things to come.

I enjoy radishes raw in salads, but since we had about 30 of them, I was looking for something different to do with them. I love roasting vegetables- asparagus, tomatoes, beets, carrots, potatoes, green beans, broccoli, you name it- I'll roast it :) So why not try it with radishes?

I am certainly glad I did, I will have to add radishes to my roasting repertoire! The roasting mellows the peppery flavor they have raw, and they end up almost tasting like a less sweet version of a beet.

Roasted Radishes

20-30 radishes, rinsed well, with tops removed and set aside
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Place radishes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat.

Place radishes on the baking sheet, cut side down. Cook for 10 minutes, remove, and give the pan a light shake to mix them up. Place them back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until they are slightly browned and wrinkly.

Slice a couple of the radish tops for a garnish and sprinkle on top of the radishes. Enjoy!

Very loosely adapted from bonappetit.com, original recipe here.

Rustic (aka Non-Fussy) Strawberry Tart

It's officially that time of year- strawberry season. Actually, it has been for about a month now, but I'm procrastinating as always.

For the past 27 years of my life, I actually thought I didn't really care for strawberries. I thought they were too tart and didn't have all that much flavor. I could take them or leave them, I certainly wouldn't go crazy over them. Well, as it turns out, I only dislike out-of-season strawberries shipped from halfway across the world. In season strawberries grown on our CSA farm 15 minutes away- OMG. Totally. Different. Story.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize that- I am absolutely kicking myself. And now- let's just say I'm making up for lost time. We've bought about 8 quarts in the past couple weeks.

One of the most especially delicious recipes I've enjoyed with all the fresh strawberries we've had was this rustic strawberry tart from the kitchen sink recipes.

I've always thought tarts were beautiful and tasty, but have shied away from making them. They just seem so... fussy. Overlaying the fruit in a pretty pattern and achieving the perfect crust seems so difficult... that and I don't exactly own a tart pan. So when I cam across this tart recipe, I was sold. I will hereby refer to it as the non-fussy tart.

It was absolutely delicious, and so easy to make. I definitely see more of these in my future. I am excited to try different fillings as well- the dough can be used for both sweet and savory purposes.

Rustic (aka Non-Fussy) Strawberry Tart
Serves 4 (individual tarts)

for the crust:
1 cup of all-purpose flour, leveled off
1/8 of a teaspoon of salt
4 Tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 Tablespoons of ice cold water

for the filling:
2 1/2 cups of strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of corn starch

for topping:
4 teaspoons of raw sugar
1 egg white

Directions: Place the 1 leveled cup of flour and the salt into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Cut in the butter and mix until it resembles course meal. Add the 4 Tablespoons of water, and mix until just moistened. Knead a few times to bring the dough together. (I found the dough to be pretty crumbly at this stage- like there was too much flour. Don't worry, it all works out.)

Divide the dough into four quarters. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

While the dough is refrigerating, combine strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Allow to sit. Preheat oven to 350 F.

After 30 minutes, unwrap each portion of dough and place on a square of parchment paper. Place the plastic wrap back on top of the dough and press the dough down into a disk. Roll into an approximately 8" circle.

Peel off plastic wrap, and using a slotted spoon, place 1/4 of the strawberry mixture in the center. Leave a couple inch border around the edges to fold over. Fold over the edges and brush with the egg white. Sprinkle a bit of raw sugar on top of the whole tart and place the tart, parchment square and all, onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 3 dough rounds.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Adapted from kitchensinkrecipes.com, original recipe here.