Kid-friendly thing to do with radishes?

[yamyampang]

My preschooler and I just pulled an absurd number of radishes out of the garden, but, unfortunately, I'm the only one in the house who will eat them. Since she adores pink and keeps talking about cooking the radishes, I'm wondering if anyone knows of a way to cook/prep them that might be tolerable to her. The one possibility I'm currently considering is to make tea sandwiches with enough butter or cream cheese and cucumbers to mask the taste but still convince her that eating radishes is fun. Thoughts?

(I figure this will take care of one or two of them and then I will pickle the rest using David Leibovitz's recipe so I can force my husband into sharing the rest with me.)

[yamyampang]

Thanks for the fantastic suggestions, everyone! Grating them to make them smaller and cooking to make them sweeter, doing something with cream cheese (beyond just the tea sandwiches I was thinking of), and doing them with celery and orange peel all have great potential for my little miss. I will probably bribe her to try the radish pickles I made for the grown-ups in residence as well.

I'm actually excited about Project Radish now!

[cleopatra999]

agree with many above, but especially roasting, it really sweetens them. I do packages with carrots on the bbq.

also grate up and throw into a traditional coleslaw, she will hardly know they are there.

[paulj]

Have you tried radish roses?
http://www.gardensablaze.com/Vegetabl...

Chilling them in ice water, and then dipping them in salt when eating, tempers the bite.

As a kid these, along with carrot sticks and celery, were my most common 'salad'.

[Jeri L]

From Kitchen Parade (kitchenparade.com):

EASY RADISH SPREAD
In a food processor, whiz a half pound of trimmed red radishes, 3 green onions and 4 to 8 ounces of low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with pita crisps or fresh vegetables.

You can even skip the green onions. I made it into sandwiches with rye bread. Not "radishy" at all.

[trolley]

Have you tried pickles yet? my 3 yr old is really getting into sauerkraut these days and venturing into pickles. not the kind of sauerkraut out of a can but the raw organic kind. i think pickled radishes may be next for us that is if you're into pickles. i also find that even if doesn't really like something if he had a hand in making it he's more apt to try it.

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/...

here's a decent recipe for pickled radishes

[megjp]

The first and most unhelpful response that came to mind, reading your thread title, was "throw them at things!".. but that's not foodly of me, so let me know if you roast them and she takes to them. I'm a hater too, and quite childish for a grown-up. :)

[magiesmom]

roasted radishes!

[pikawicca]

I just had a wonderful dish at a local restaurant consisting of sliced radishes, chopped baby bok choy, and sliced shiitakes, all cooked until tender in a bit of veggie broth with minced garlic and ginger. The dish was finished with a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. Absolutely delicious, and the radishes were the mellow stars of the show. Cooking radishes tempers their bite, while retaining their flavor. You could even cook them, cool, and use in tea sandwiches.

[Joebob]

As an offshoot of this idea, if your family might like Chinese red-cooked (stewed with soy sauce etc.) pork e.g. with star anise, or beef e.g. with orange peel, daikon commonly is added to make a meat and veg. stew. I see no reason why radishes could not be substituted for the daikon. The radishes mellow and take on the flavor of the liquid. Black cardamon is a good addition too.

[Ferdzy]

Radish fried rice. Use a chopped onion and other vegetables if you like, but the main vegetable to go into it - grated radishes. They become sweet and mild when cooked.

[smtucker]

In France, I have had a radish dish which just seemed to be braised butter radishes. You might try a search for such a preparation. The braising minimized the peppery quality of the radish and brings out the sweetness.

[boredough]

I love cold radish soup, which comes out nice & pink, so maybe your daughter would like it just for that. The basic recipe I follow is:
1 bunch radishes, 2 shallots, 2 tbsp fromage blanc (or Greek yoghurt), 1 tsp Dijon mustard, chives -
Chop shallots and sauté lightly in butter. Add coarsely chopped radishes & let cook a few mins. Add 1 cup water & season w/salt & pepper. Bring to boil & let simmer 15 mins. Purée with immersion blender. Let cool. Add in fromage blanc & mustard. Refrigerate. Serve with minced chives.
Just note that this recipe as is barely serves 2 people so I end up playing with the quantities depending on the the size/number of radishes & number of diners... It's very refreshing.

[julesrules]

A quick and easy radish salad with simply oil, vinegar salt and pepper, but left to sit a while so they turn entirely pink and the flavour and texture are muted. And if she still doesn't like them, I suppose it could be turned into tea sandwiches or even blended with cream cheese to make a pretty pink spread?

[rusty_s]

I do a radish salad like this, but with lemon juice instead of vinegar. I prefer this salad on the second day because the radishes mellow out.

[Isolda]

We do a similar salad, but also add shredded celery and a little grated orange peel. It's really mellow and delicious.

[tcamp]

Stir fry them lightly in a little butter.

[HillJ]

I love radishes super cold, right out of an ice bath! But beyond the garden to plate enjoyment, I agree with the saute in butter suggestion and a tea sandwich component with any number of spreads, or sliced super thin in mixed green salads.

And when my kids were young, one of their favorite uses for radishes (especially the larger ones) was to cut patterns into a flat-cut radish top (we used mini appetizer cutters for the die-cutting shapes) and then with food coloring stamp dye patterns into white construction paper to make stationary.

[critter101]

If your daughter just won't eat them, try helping her make radish mice. Just Google Radish Mice, and you'll find many sites and YouTube demos on how to do it.

[blue room]

Thin raw radish slices on buttered melba toast rounds -- or 1/2 butter, 1/2 cheese. If they start out as a garnish (radish roses) she might like them with a dip. But if they're just too hot to eat, they're just too hot to eat!
http://www.google.com/search?q=radish...

[debbypo]

My girls adored radish tea sandwiches. They also liked radishes cut in half with cream cheese in them just to pop in their mouths. I have also sauteed them with butter and served with white rice (very pale plate).

[todao]

Have you given any thought to cooking the radishes? The radish flavor is, in many instances, something you grow accustomed to over time (if you have the courage) and cooking them by either roasting, frying or steaming (add some herbs or what ever else you might think enticing to the pre-schooler) might be a way of accomplishing your goal. I'd experiment with different ideas and use my own taste in an effort to identify a flavor/texture profile that I felt the child might, based on experience, accept. Radish chips is one approach that might work. You could, of course, call it "chicken" - kids seem to accept just about anything if it's called chicken. :>)