The Roots of Summer

Now before all the juicy nightshades arrive in the north--the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, it's prime time to talk about the roots of summer: scallions, radishes and salad/Tokyo/Hakurei turnips. Green garlic has already gone by and beets are a subject unto themselves. These three don't get the respect they deserve, so here are some easy ways to appreciate them.

Scallions
Also known as green onions since they're the first phase of those big slicers. They can be white or purple, like onions. They're piquant but not as much as their grownup relatives, so they're easy to eat raw in egg or tuna salad or to incorporate into deviled eggs. I'm fond of mincing scallions into a summer salad of baby shrimp, fresh peas, crumbled feta and shell pasta with a light pesto dressing (dilute the pesto slightly with olive oil) or sometimes a mint pesto dressing.  My recipe for fresh pea hummus, perfect right now, calls for a large bunch of scallions (6-8).

A recipe for Chinese scallion pancakes is in How to Fix a Leek....the book, on the June scallion page. Here's a slightly different and even faster recipe for a Korean version. Difference: this has an egg. It makes a great brunch or lunch addition or can be used as "bread" with an Asian main dish.

Korean Scallion Pancakes
makes two large ones which when cut into wedges serves 4-8 depending on how you use them

1 cup unbleached flour
1 large to jumbo egg, beaten
6 scallions with a bit of their green stem, halved lengthwise and chopped into bite-sized pieces
pinch of Chipotle chili or cayenne powder
pinch of sea salt
Corn, mustard or canola oil for frying

Whisk the flour, eggs, chili powder and salt together. Slowly add 3/4 cup water and whisk to blend without lumps. Gently fold in the scallions and let the batter sit for 10 minutes.

While you're waiting, make a dipping sauce by combining all ingredients below in a small bowl:
3 tbsp Tamari sauce
1 tbsp + 1 tsp  rice vinegar
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 tsp brown sugar
1 lg garlic clove grated
1/2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Coat the bottom or a 10" skillet (nonstick is optimum here) with oil and heat over medium flame. When it's almost sizzling, pour 1/2 the batter in, swirling the pan so it gets to the edges evenly. Use a spatula to push if it doesn't. You want an evenly thin pancake.  Cook about 4 minutes until the pancake is golden brown on the bottom, then flip it and cook about another 3 minutes until it is matching golden brown. Remove and put on a paper towel to drain any oil. Cover to keep warm and cook the second pancake.

To Serve: cut the pancakes each into 8 wedges and serve with the sauce.

 A word about those purple "scallions" in the first photo
These are more "small new onions" than scallions at this point. You can only get goodies like this from a farmers' market and they will be worth all the effort. You cut off about 2/3 of the stalk, cut off the root and put them on a baking sheet with a spritz of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Then you roast them in the oven at 425º for 10-12 minutes until they are soft. Serve immediately and savor the sweet piquancy. They are terrific beside grilled meat or fish, great with an omelet.


Hakurei/Tokyo/Salad Turnips
These beautiful white bulbs that look like a white beet are known by all those names. They are the sweetest turnip that ever came out of the ground, yet they still have the mildest little nip that adds delightful pungency to green salads, and color when you need it. These are turnips you can eat raw and you should. I've previously posted in June a recipe for a Farm to table salad that includes them with radishes, arugula and cucumbers under buttermilk dill dressing. I sometimes grate these turnips into a summer slaw with grated carrots of at least two colors, kohlrabi (another mild turnip with helpful nutrients), white or green cabbage, lots of chopped chives and just a bit of chopped tarragon for a hint of licorice.  I use a cider vinegar--no mayonnaise--dressing that's more or less 2 parts vinegar to 1 part olive oil with a small garlic clove smashed and minced.

The turnips can also be quickly and deliciously cooked if they are thinly sliced and sauteed in Asian sesame oil on medium heat. This will bring out their sugar and get them golden and crispy at the edges. Season lightly with sea salt to serve.
The greens are equally delicious sauteed in sesame oil with sesame seeds and maybe a tsp of soy sauce until soft--maybe 12-15 minutes. If they start to burn add 1 to 2 tbsp warm water.  For a colorful, tasty presentation, put the greens on a serving plate and mound the turnips on top.
The exact recipe is in How to Fix a Leek...the book.

Radishes
These red balls of fire don't have to be as ho hum as we've made them.
I slice them into my Farm to Table salad, recipe posted in June.
I also put them into a colorful French salad with green beans and pitted black olives, recipe on the June radish page of How to Fix a Leek...the book.
I have also written on this site about how magical the cylinder shaped rose colored white tipped French radishes can be when they are rolled in soft butter or goat cheese and then rolled in sea salt.

And finally, the Shakers used to cook radishes. They sauteed them first in a bit of butter to soften them up and then added a cream sauce to the pan. They served the finished dish, creamed radishes, over spinach. Nothing boring about that.