Using the Green Leaves from a Bundle of Radishes, Grocery Store or Home-Grown

Do you grow radishes? Do you buy radishes with the greens still on? Those greens, even if they're semi-wilted, can be used in meals. No sense throwing them out.

You've read about me using the tender and young radish greens to add texture and zing to salads. But those mature ones (like on bundles of radishes from the store) are edible, too -- cooked and added to sides and main dishes. The trick is to blanch and puree them, then moderate the bitterness with other ingredients. My favorite extra ingredients to tame these greens include onions, garlic, bacon/sausage/ham (or their rendered fats), peanut butter, pinch sugar, and/or salt. In addition, tossing with cooked starchy foods, such as mashed potatoes, cooked pasta, or cooked rice, will also subdue that bitter bite. 

These are aging radish plants from this past winter that I grew indoors. I moved them outdoors when I needed my lights for starting seeds. The ones in these buckets never produced nice roots. But the mature greens still have food value.

I picked a bowl full to use in Wednesday's dinner. After washing, I microwaved the greens for a minute to quick steam them. I minced a clove of garlic, then pureed both greens and garlic together with some water, using my immersion blender.

I added a large spoonful of peanut butter to the greens-garlic puree in the skillet. I also added some chopped peanuts, onion powder, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and water enough to make a sauce, heating through over Med-Low. 

Meanwhile, I cooked pasta according to package directions. 

Once the pasta was cooked and drained, I tossed it with the radish green sauce. I adjusted for taste with another splash of soy sauce and this side dish was complete. 

I have enough radish greens growing in those buckets to make this dish one or two more times. As greens go, these might be too bitter on their own. But pureed, then combined with garlic and peanut butter (plus a couple other ingredients), not only are the greens palatable, but they made a dish that my family really enjoyed.

Just sharing in case you're like me, and you don't want to waste a single food right now.

Cheap Eats: Rice-Stuffed (Edible) Leaves

We all know that rice is a cheap food. The trick is to vary how it's served to both satisfy the palate and bring in additional nutrients. 

I like to use edible leaves as wrappers for a rice and herb mixture. The edible leaves are free to us, as are the herbs and seasonings. My only cost is the rice, salt, pepper, a bit of olive oil, and fuel for the stove. I use homemade chicken bone stock for the cooking liquid. But you could use water or chicken bouillon. In any case, this is a super economical and flavorful way to serve rice. If you have a small amount of cooked meat to use up, stuffed leaves are also a great way to stretch that small amount for more servings.

No grape leaves? Do you throw away the outer, not as crisp leaves from a head of cabbage? They are perfect candidates for stuffing.

Here I'm using some grape leaves that I froze at the end of last summer. I blanched them before freezing, so that step is taken care of for this meal. Other possibilities for leaves include fig leaves, large nasturtium leaves, sorrel, Swiss chard, and cabbage (especially the outer, sometimes wilted cabbage leaves). Squash blossoms from summer or winter squash plants or pumpkins are also candidates for stuffing. The leaves all require blanching before stuffing, so they roll up more easily. But the squash/pumpkin blossoms are flexible enough when fresh-picked. To blanch leaves, I wash, then microwave them briefly (10 seconds for the most tender leaves up to a minute for individual cabbage leaves) to soften.

If you can roll up a burrito, you can roll filled leaves. I first lay out all of the leaves on the kitchen counter. This ensures I have enough filling for each leaf. I then put a spoonful of the seasoned rice onto each leaf.

Beginning at the lower edge of a leaf, I fold up the bottom, fold in the sides, then roll up.

When all leaves are rolled, I place 2 or 3 large leaves on the bottom of a Dutch oven. 

These bottom leaves prevent sticking of the filled leaves.

Next, I place all the rolls onto the liner leaves.

I lay 2 or 3 large leaves on top of the rolls to help hold the rolls together. Some cooks place a small plate on top of these leaves, but I haven't found that to be necessary.

I pour the liquid gently over all, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and simmer on LOW for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (time will depend on your stove and the pot used). 

After 1 hour, if it looks like the rice isn't fully cooked, I add a couple of tablespoons of water and steam for 10-15 more minutes. This usually does the trick. To see if the rice is thoroughly cooked, I check an opening or tear on one of the leaves and pick out a single grain of rice with the tip of a knife and sample.

Leaving the lid on, I allow the cooked rolls to stand for one hour off the heat. This standing time helps the rolls solidify.

Stuffed leaves can be made ahead and reheated in the microwave. Leftovers are always gobbled up in my house.

Here's the seasoned rice recipe I use for stuffed grape leaves. The seasonings can be changed up according to taste and availability. For example, dried oregano can be subbed for the allspice and dill weed if stuffing cabbage or Swiss chard leaves.  A little cooked ground beef or Italian sausage can be added to this filling, then the cooked rice rolls can be topped with some marinara sauce. Sage (1 teaspoon rubbed or minced fresh) along with some broken up cooked breakfast sausage has nice flavor for squash blossoms.

For about 20 small grape leaves (serves 4):

filling (mix together ion a bowl)

1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt

dash black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon minced dill weed

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1/4 cup minced onions, chives, shallots, or about 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

cooking liquid

1  1/4 cups chicken stock, water, or bouillon

Extra minced vegetables can be added to the rice filling, up to about 1/4 cup, minced. Up to 1/2 cup of finely chopped cooked meat can also be added.

Do you make stuffed leaves or blossoms? What do you like to use for a filling?