Many people are turned off to radishes because they associate them with the raw bite, however tempered by salt, butter and bread, or whatever the pairing. I personally like them cooked, sautéed in a tad of olive oil when young, or braised and glazed in the fall. When the leaves are young, they can be added to other greens for a variety of dishes, raw or cooked. Here, I turned the radish greens into a pesto, much as you would handle the more typical basil.

Since I had a beautiful bunch from our CSA farm (plus more growing in my own garden) I put a bunch-worth of trimmed greens in the food processor, added a tablespoon of pine nuts, a clove of garlic, a little salt, and a tablespoon or so of olive oil, buzzing it to blend. Then I sautéed sliced radishes in oil, salted them and tossed the whole thing together with some linguine. Perfect.

Categories: Pesto, RadishTags: Cooked radishes, Radish greens pesto