Radishes are a spring crop that can feel a bit too abundant when you’ve run out of ideas to use them. This soup utilizes both the radish and the radish greens to make the most of the abundance. Red radishes make a pastel pink soup that sings spring against the green pesto.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch (1 pound) red radishes with their leafy tops
- 2 spring onions or scallions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for pesto Pinch ground black pepper, plus more for pesto
- ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces) half-and-half *
- 1 large soup spoon of crème fraîche*, plus more for garnish Sprigs of fresh dill for garnish
- * Substitute any kind of unsweetened milk or cream for the half-and-half.
- **Substitute chèvre, sour cream, cashew cream, coconut cream, or plain or Greek yogurt for the crème fraîche.
- Leafy tops from 1 bunch radishes above
- Greens from 2 spring onions or scallions above
- Several sprigs fresh dill, chervil, mint, tarragon, basil, or any fresh delicate herb
- ¼ cup steamed fresh or frozen sweet peas
- 2 teaspoons shiro (white) miso
- 1–2 tablespoons mild olive oil
Preparation
To make the soup:
Remove the tops from the radishes and set aside for the pesto.
Photo by Chef Taffy Elrod
Finely dice 1 radish for garnish, cut the rest of the radishes in half.
Chop the white part of the onions or scallions, reserving the green parts for the pesto.
Place a quart saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter in the pan. Add the radishes and the chopped white part of the onion, and sweat in the butter over medium heat until they smell fragrant and the onions have softened.
Add the salt and pepper and enough water to just cover the radishes. Cover the pan and cook on a low simmer, until the radishes are tender enough to smash with the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Check halfway through cooking to make sure the water hasn’t reduced too much. While the soup cooks, make the pesto.
To make the pesto:
Clean the radish tops by soaking them in a large bowl of cold water (a salad spinner works well for this). Remove the tops from the water and pour out the water. Do this until there is no more soil or debris in the water. Spin the radish greens dry.
Place the radish tops, onion greens, fresh herbs, peas, miso and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth. If the pesto isn’t blending completely, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Taste the pesto and add salt and pepper if desired. Transfer the pesto to a dish and rinse the blender clean.
To finish the soup:
When the radishes are completely tender, carefully pour them into the blender, add the half-and-half or milk to the blender and puree the soup. Place the soup back in the pan, stir in the crème fraîche or yogurt, and heat gently.
Serve the soup with a generous spoonful of the pesto and a dollop of crème fraîche. Garnish with diced radish and a dill sprig.
