Those of you that have a copy of my book, A Taste of Le Sud*, will be familiar with my radish leaf pesto. A triumph in the world of radish leaves! I get more comments and compliments on that little recipe than anything else! Who would have thought it.
Anyhow back from the market on Wednesday I was armed with a super selection of Spring vegetables including radishes. And what beauties they were, huge round and shining red.
My fridge and freezer already full of pesto from the previous weeks hoard I was looking for a different recipe for the leaves. Yesterday it was 21°c so I really wasn’t in the mood to be making soup. Soup is for winter, unless chilled and then it is for summer, and yesterday and today it is Spring! This may change of course as it is early yet!
So I searched around the internet looking for inspiration and I came across a recipe for stir-fried radish leaves. Below is my adaptation and we enjoyed it will grilled Sar on the bbq, delicious and nutritious not dissimilar to spinach.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of radish leaves, picked through and rinsed thoroughly
1 large garlic clove minced
1 large handful of fresh herbs, I used coriander
I handful of freshly podded peas **
I handful of freshly podded broad beans
I tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 dsp sesame seeds
Method:
- First check your leaves, remove any foreign matter and yellowing leaves. Rinse several times very thoroughly as they have a tendency to be gritty. Spin dry in a salad spinner, and roughly shred.
- In a small wok or large frying pan heat the coconut oil over a medium heat.
- Lightly fry the garlic until softened and very lightly browned.
- Add the leaves and sauté for 90 seconds.
- Add the herbs, beans, peas, soy and sesame seeds and mix well.
- Remove from the heat and check seasoning.
- Serve warm.
Radish leaves can be a tad bitter so the beans and peas add a touch of sweetness. Early season peas and beans dont need cooking as they are sweet and soft. Later on in the season I would cook the broad beans and double pod them. A faff but I find the white skin can be tough and so is best removed to fully appreciate the delicious green bean underneath. I am afraid it got eaten before I could take a photo of the finished product! But here are some photos of my haul from the market and the gloriousness of the leaves before I cooked them!
* You can purchase a copy of my book here on this site in either French or English or at various retailers across the region, plus Amazon UK. The recipe for the pesto is also available on this blog – how kind am I!
** Whilst you could use frozen peas and beans the wonderful thing about this recipe was the freshness.