Radishes to bring you joy.

In praise of the radish.



My earliest memory of radishes is of those I used to pull out of my father's garden. I would pull the leaves off --these days, I don't: they're good raw or cooked-- wipe them on my leg and eat. I still do that if I've grown them at home. But try this. It's something described by the great Elizabeth David in French Provincial Cooking and, I notice, is listed as one of Nigel Slater's marriages made in heaven in another book I love, his Appetite. It's radishes, just stripped of their greens, washed carefully and then served with cold butter.

The picture above --and man: that's a lot of radishes-- is by Adactio at www.flick'r.com Thank you!

So get the best butter you can-- unsalted. Then try this: a little morsel of butter and a bite from a whole radish. Or a dab of butter across the radish. I suppose you could add a few crystals of some good sea salt --such as the Maldon salt that I use-- but that's it. And you don't slice them or prink them: you keep them whole and admire their beautiful colour -- like you're noticing it for the first time. We'll be having them later this week.