First cultivated in the eastern Mediterranean, black radishes aren’t mainstays in produce bins these days. This peppery radish, also known as a niger radish, is striking for its black skin that threatens to stain the fingers like charcoal (Don’t worry; it won’t.).
Use it: Black radishes don’t pop with sharp, spicy flavor like other radish cultivars, so take advantage of their dark skin in raw and cooked dishes. Wash and trim the ends, along with any errant roots, then use it – skin and all – as a salad vegetable. Try pickling it or shredding it into slaw. For a warm side dish, saute thinly sliced black radishes, then mix them with black sesame seeds, a drizzle of sesame oil, freshly chopped cilantro and salt. For an unexpected hors d’oeuvre, make black radish canapes.
Buy it: Global Foods Market, 421 N. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, 314.835.1112, globalfoodsmarket.com
This article appears in March 2013.