Recipe: Radish Greens Soup

Radish Greens Soup

Do not throw away those wonderful radish greens; they are an excellent source of iron and taste just as good as expensive watercress.

Makes 6 Servings

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or unsaturated oil of your choice
3 cups chopped radish greens from 3 bunches of radishes
4 cups water or Secondary Stock (page 220 of the book)
2 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/3-inch salpicon
12 red radishes, sliced l/8 inch thick
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Salt
Pepper from the mill
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup sour cream of your choice
Bread of your choice (optional)
Grated Gruyere-type cheese or crumbled ripe goat cheese (optional)

Heat the butter or oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Toss the radish greens for 1 minute in the hot butter. Cover with the water and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer until the soup tastes good, 20 to 30 minutes. Strain through a food mill.

Meanwhile, place the radish slices and vinegar in a small pot, add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, simmer 3 to 4 minutes, and drain. Add the slices of radishes to the strained soup. In a small bowl, mix the mustard with the chosen sour cream. Mix two ladlesful of the soup into this mixture, then whisk that mixture back into the bulk of the soup. Correct the final seasoning and serve immediately, with bread on the side and cheese passed in a bowl.

from:
The New Making of a Cook
The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good Cooking
by Madeleine Kamman
William Morrow
Oct. 1997, $40 hardcover
Recipe reprinted by permission.