| Hooray, the radishes are here! Though it's been a strange, cold, wet, spring, we're finally enjoying some dry, warm, sunny weather here in the Tanat Valley and the first bites of Nik's carefully cultivated crops are also beginning to make their way to our plates. We're had some lettuce, some cultivate sorrel, some pea shoots... and now we've got radishes! These delightfully cheery, rosy, crispy, peppery little roots are delicious in salads, eaten as soon as possible after you've plucked them from their little beds, but I also really enjoy pickled radish. I think I first discovered it when I was in Japan, it's often served as a little side dish with meals or as a snack. You might think pickling is a long, slow process and for sure, it can be... but I'm here to introduce you to the wonder of the quick pickle, otherwise known as 'quickle'! I've occasionally indulged in cooking that takes a full day in the kitchen but quite frankly, though I love cooking and I especially love cooking nourishing, tasty food for people I care about; I also love doing a whole heap of other things so these days I like to keep my kitchen time to a respectable minimum required for a non-processed, balanced diet. |  |
 | Happily, I've found all sorts of ways to make good food, fairly quickly; and this is one of them! To make radish quickle, simply pick (preferably from your garden but maybe from the shop!) an average bunch of radishes, that's fifteen to twenty medium sized. Give them a good wash, top and tail them and slice them as thinly as you can. If you're brave enough, the slicing side of a box grater will do well, but mind your fingers! Simply pop your sliced radish into a jar with cider vinegar, warm water, sugar and salt (see gallery images for my notes on quantity). I also like to add some dried dill and a bit of fresh ground black pepper. Some recipes will suggest you can leave it for an hour and that will be your quick pickle, but for my very own Radish Quickle I like to leave it 2 to 3 hours. It's still quick enough that you can make it after breakfast in time for lunch but all those lovely flavours just get a tickle longer to do their thing. Never the less, if you're in a hurry, an hour will do and you'll find the vinegar solution turns a gorgeous pink colour as the radishes become gradually pickled. Serve it with salads and sandwiches, or simply as a tasty little side-snack, and enjoy it while it lasts! |
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