Wednesday, April 12, 2017

A Radish by any Other Name

Don't you just love happy surprises?

Or something unexpected?

Like when something that is not really particularly pleasant to look at on the outside turns out to be amazing on the inside?

This is the story of a radish.

White and lumpy and dirty on the outside.



But cut it open and behold. There is a reason this radish is known as the watermelon radish.




All I did to prepare it was slice, sprinkle with some olive oil, and roast.


I think they would taste great chilled and added to a salad, but honestly, they didn't last that long.


I had to fight off my daughter for them. Seriously.

They have kind of a creamy texture with a bit of a bite to it.







The story behind the story is that my daughter and I were at the farmer's market and saw these. They'd been there every week and I guess no one was paying attention. So the farmer sliced them in half and left them open for people to see.

We looked, I googled recipes on my phone. We bought.

I should end with happily ever after, but the radish did get eaten, so....





Anyway, have you ever tasted a watermelon radish?


12 comments:

  1. I never expected to see an Ode to the Radish at the cafe! Have to admit I'm not a huge radish fan...but have only seen one kind...red on the outside? The kind you put in a salad. Anyway, my indifference might come from having tried them when I was a child with a very narrow view of what I considered edible. :-) These look so pretty and would never have thought of roasting a radish. Who Knew?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, this is sort of the opposite, Kav. I usually use the others for my husband's salad. This had a slightly more mellow taste.

      Delete
  2. I've never heard of a watermelon radish! Is it the usual radish size? About the size of a walnut?

    And a lot of people who eat low-carb roast radishes as an alternative to potatoes. I've heard they're good, but haven't gotten to try them yet. Every time I bring radishes into the house, they disappear. Both hubby and I love them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jan.

      No, these actually are more the size of a turnip. In fact, if the sign hadn't said watermelon radish, I probably would have thought they were turnips.


      I know the sign was correct (thanks to the power of Google), so I'm not entirely sure why this radish is so much bigger except that it does belong to the turnip family. They also had black radishes which were even larger.

      Delete
    2. Steroids.

      I believe this radish is on STEROIDS!!!!!

      Delete
  3. Interesting! Wonder if I could get my other half to try it. Don't think I have ever had roasted radishes. I just make my favorite ranch dip and eat them raw.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Katie. Thanks for stopping by, I'm not really sure what these would taste like raw. I didn't try it. But roasting them lightly made them very creamy, while retaining the crunch.

      Delete
  4. Oh, wow! I've never seen or heard of this. But I ADORE radishes! Especially raw. I'll have to see if I can find some for sale and try it raw and roasted. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought of your post on radishes when I saw these, Missy. That's what gave me the courage to try!

      Delete
  5. Wow, looks beautiful! But I'm not a radish fan. Is it more of a gentle flavor than the usual? The ones we grow here are HOT!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It kind of reminded me of a parsnip in flavor. Maybe it has more of a bite when raw, but roasted it was more gentle.

      Delete
  6. I'm a day late and a dollar short, but OH MY GOSH! This is like a reverse radish. Red on the inside, whit on th outside! But you're right, Mary Cate, it looks like a watermelon cut up. I've never heard of such a thing. But I do love radishes. Will have to keep an eye out for this fella.

    ReplyDelete