By Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Lynne: Are radish tops safe, or are they dangerous like rhubarb leaves? If they won't kill me, what can I do with them? — A Little Nervous
Dear Nervous: Don't be. Rhubarb leaves pack high levels of toxic oxalic acid, but radish leaves are safe. They have a mild bite, a little like the radish beneath them, and like that radish, they are best eaten young and in great shape.
Try them instead of lettuce or arugula in sandwiches (they love mayonnaise). I use them as a foil for roasted sweet vegetables, like peppers, onions, squashes, carrots or parsnips. Roasting browns the greens, lending them a rich, pleasingly tart-meaty flavor.
Test-drive the concept with this dish. It's a chameleon, turning into a relish, a dip, a topping for anything grilled, a side dish or a saucing for pasta. Chill up to five days, or freeze up to six months.
Roasted Three Peppers and Greens
Ingredients:
5 large sweet red and yellow peppers, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
2 to 3 medium-hot to hot fresh chilies, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (jalapeno, Hungarian, cubanelle or Serrano)
2 medium to large red onions, cut into 2-inch chunks
4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
a big handful of fresh radish leaves, spring mix, curly endive, escarole, or young arugula, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 tsp. dry oregano
2 to 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons cut in wedges (for garnish)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450. Slip a large shallow pan into oven to heat up. In a big bowl, toss together all the ingredients (except the lemons), seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Open oven; with oven mitts pull out shelf with shallow pan. Turn all the vegetables onto the pan, taking care not to get burned. Spread them out and roast about 45 minutes, turning often. Peppers should have some browning and radish leaves should be crisp. Encourage browning by keeping everything spread out during cooking.
Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges to squeeze for the dish's final seasoning.
Serves 4 to 8
Dear Lynne: How do you buy a melon? — Gerry in Iowa City
Dear Gerry: Trust your nose. If it smells quite sweet, it will taste sweet. Check for ripeness by pressing the dime-sized round at the melon's end. Hard means it needs several days on the kitchen counter. If it has give but isn't soft, the melon should be ready. Never buy melons with soft spots, withered skins, musty aromas or no aroma at all. And if possible, buy organic ones for better flavor.
Dear Lynne: I saw something labeled "white coconut" at the supermarket. It was a big beige hunk the size of a honeydew, wrapped in plastic. What is it? — Hate Cooking, Love Eating
Dear Love Eating: Some Asians call them "drinking coconuts." They are young coconuts stripped of outer skins down to their soft husk. Through about an inch of husk is the shell. Inside is luscious coconut water. Lining the shell is immature, pudding-like coconut meat.
Drinking coconuts are presented with a hole poked in the top, a straw for easy sipping and sometimes a spoon. Once the water's gone you scoop up the flesh.
For freshness, they should be sold chilled. Buy where there's an Asian community to guarantee quick turnover. Reject any with any signs of mold or deterioration. Keep cold until serving. Create a hole in the pointed end of the nut that is large enough for a spoon by using a knife. For harder nuts, tap a triangle of punctures with a screwdriver and hammer, then ply out the plug.
You say you hate cooking, but if you can get your hands on some ripe peaches and mangoes, sugar and a little rum, you could be on your way to a respectable dessert. Peel and cut up the fruit. Toss with sugar to taste. Serve up the chilled coconuts, adding a little rum to each one. Sip away, then spoon the flesh over the fruit.
(Lynne Rossetto Kasper is host of "The Splendid Table"(r), Minnesota Public Radio's national food show. Find recipes, station listings and more at splendidtable.org, or 800-537-5252.)
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