Sunday's Soup/Greens at Their Best!

My first experience with a radish was when I was about 3 years old. I was hungry, and had been told that I had to wait until lunch for something to eat. Well, being the industrious child that I was, I thought that I would just go out to the garden and pick a carrot. Now, I have always loved carrots, at least raw carrots. Although, it wasn't until I was in my early twenties that I really began to love cooked carrots. So, I went bouncing out to the garden and made my way to a row of what I thought were carrots. I remembered that the seed packet had a picture of "white carrots," maybe just a different variety??? Well, how surprised was I when I bit into that so called white carrot and got the shock of my short life when it burned my mouth! I threw that awful "carrot" on the ground and went running into the house in search of a drink of water. My father found the "carrot" with one bite taken out of it laying on the ground. He came in holding it in his had and asked if I had pulled it up and taken just one bite. I admitted that I had, but that it was sooo hot. I found out that it wasn't a carrot, but a white radish. Well yuk!, and thought, "I will never eat another radish as long as I live." Amazingly, I now love radishes, even the white ones ;)  

I especially love getting the huge winter radishes.

My favorite breakfast is a piece of great seeded bread, a slice of good cheese, sliced radishes, topped with sliced avocado with a sprinkle of herbs, salt, pepper, and finally a sprinkle of olive oil. YUM!!! I eat this for lunch, too! 

A while back, I shared a recipe for a Rustic Radish Soup. I had purchased a bunch of radishes from the farmer's market and I just couldn't bear the thought of throwing out the greens. What a lovely soup. Over the winter, with all the radishes I purchased, I decided to look around for another recipe and I discovered a delightful food blog, Taste of Beirut. I love Middle Eastern food, so when I saw her recipe for Peas and Radish Greens Soup, I thought it would be worth a try, and I am so very happy that I did.

What makes the soup special are the spices, cumin and turmeric. Along with the radish greens, and peas, there are 2 potatoes along with onions and garlic. So it's a very simple recipe. The author included 2 cups of yogurt. I did not add the yogurt. So it adapts well to a vegan version of the soup. A beautiful, green, satisfying, aromatic soup.

Just a quick note about my bowl. I loved hammered aluminum serving pieces. I found this piece some time ago. It has a glass insert, and the lid is so special. Take note of the pea pod handle. Sadly, I only have one :( 

In the end, I am happy that no one holds me to the declarations I made as a child. Little did I know when I was 3 that I would one day grow to love a radish!

Enjoy :)

Rhonda