Somewhere over the rainbow...
Photo courtesy of Valeria Necchio and Natoora
For my cooking demo at the Natoora shop this Friday I am pickling these beautiful heritage radishes from Good Earth Growers in Cornwall. Aren’t they gorgeous? I separated them into pink and purple and ended up with these two lovely colours:
Of course, you don’t have to use heritage radishes. You can use whichever kind you like. You can also use whichever vinegar you like, but I prefer rice wine vinegar because the result is slightly subtler than when I have used other vinegars, which I have found too sharp.
I like using these radishes in bright and colourful Asian salads. They also work wonderfully with seafood, such as sashimi or smoked fish. I served these on Saturday night with smoked mackerel pate and they went down a treat. The crunch of the radishes contrasted delightfully with the smooth and creamy pate and their acidity neatly balanced the saltiness of the pate.
Makes 1-2 jars.
Ingredients
1 bunch radishes (approx. 300g with leaves, 200g without)
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Method
Sterilise 2 small jars: put the jars and lids in a low oven (130°C) for 20 minutes. Let them cool down slightly before using.
Thinly slice the radish bulbs into rounds then place in the jars. For aesthetic purposes, if using different coloured radishes separate the colours and put in different jars (white can go with any colour) and you’ll get different coloured liquids.
Put the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Pour the vinegar mix into the jars and seal with the sterilised lids. Leave to cool out of the fridge, then refrigerate until use. They are best in the first week after they are made, when they retain their crunch, but can be used for several months after this.
Photo of bunched heritage radishes courtesy of Valeria Necchio and Natoora.