RAR!!! (Radishes, Artichokes, and more Radishes!)

So on Sunday we did quite a bit of cooking with two of the veggies we don't use very often:

Radishes! Even though they're not (normally) my favorite, they're quite pretty!

And cute little baby artichokes!

I'm really not a big raw radish fan and BC wasn't too familiar with them so we were looking for ways to cook them, bake them, or otherwise combine them with other foods. We found two awesome recipes that highlighted the radishes in different ways. I'd definitely try both again!

The first was a lovely recipe by Martha Stewart found here. It was a feta and radish dip that she suggested pairing with pita. We decided to use a fresh baguette instead and thought it was an excellent decision. The dip was excellent, though it really masked the flavor of the radishes.

The feta and radish dip with baguette! Delicious on a warm afternoon!

For our second recipe we wanted to highlight the radishes just a little more so we went with a more straightforward recipe. A quick Google search brought us to a wonderful blog and a great roasted radish recipe. These two ladies have a great blog and absolutely gorgeous photos! Apparently, roasting the radishes lessens their slight bitterness. I think we added a little too much olive oil, (hence the slightly shriveled look), but the end result tasted delicious!

 

Not the prettiest but absolutely yummy, even for someone who doesn't love radishes!

To end the night we tackled the baby artichokes. These were brand new to both of us. Our experience with artichokes is eating them stuffed, mostly as a a way to enjoy delicious breading with butter! So baby artichokes don't have a choke (the inedible, fuzzy, silky, middle part) so they aren't quite as challenging to prepare. You do still have to do a little work to get them ready for a recipe. I found a perfect guide to trimming baby artichokes that walked me through the whole thing!

You start by taking off all the dark green outer leaves, removing the stem, and trimming the dark green leaves on the base:

 

From there you can add them to any recipe, like this truly delicious one! It's a delicious sauté that really spotlights the flavorful taste of the baby artichoke. I'm so bummed we won't have any more in our box for this week - I might just have to go get more at the Farmer's Market!

The artichokes were mixed with olive oil, garlic, onion (one or our Walla Walla's!), green onion, and a little pinch of Herbes de Provence!

The final product was one of the best 'stir fry' type dishes I've had in a long time!

We've had a great week so far enjoying of veggies and cooking new recipes! We've still got some garlic left to use as well as a little bit of salad greens and cucumber. We did accidentally let a couple of our carrots get soft, but, other then that, so far so good! YUM!