A fresh summer salad from my garden is defined daily by whatever is "ready to pick". Today, in the sweltering heat, i quickly watered and plucked a handful of radishes and some rosemary before escaping indoors to prepare a simple salad lunch. Radishes aren't always the easiest vegetables to insert into a recipe. Generally speaking we eat them as they are, perhaps with a little olive oil (or butter - eek!) and salt, but the radish i have this year are super spicy and require a morcel of attention. Historically, radishes (which have been around in culinary terms for over 1000 years) have the role of “clearing the taste & preparing for food and drink”* and should be eaten raw and without much fuss. The combination that follows is a crunchy, peppery, sweet and sour salad with a hint of fragrance from the fresh rosemary. I added tiny cubes of aged Comte cheese which deliver an earthiness and complementary texture.
Serves 4 as a light appetizer
Radish, Apple and Comte salad
8 medium radishes, sliced thinly into circles
1 granny smith apple, cored, quatered and sliced thinly lengthways
1 shallot, quatered and sliced thinly
8 oz Comte cheese, cubed
dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
salt and pepper
Method
Mix all the salad ingredients in a bowl, being careful not to break the apple slices. In a separate jar with a lid, combine the dressing ingredients and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to ensure all the morcels are coated. Serve immediately or chill for later.
* (Jane Grigson - Vegetable Book)
