The first market of the season and the wind made it harder to be there than it needed to be. Gusts came in fast enough that signage was going sideways and vendors who had not secured things well enough were securing them now. I stayed near tables that had weight on them.
The radish woman was back. She had the long pink-and-white variety, the ones that blush from the tip up toward the stem. She had them stacked well. During a gust one bunch went off the corner of her table. She was watching the tent. I was closer.
I took them home and cooked them instead of eating them raw.
This is the right move in mid-May. Radishes this early in the season have been waiting for heat, and a little time in a hot pan gives them what they did not quite get in the ground. Brown butter and a sharp vinegar finish.
Serves 2 to 3.
1 bunch radishes, greens trimmed and reserved, radishes halved lengthwise 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Salt
The pan goes over medium heat. Butter in. When it foams and quiets, the radishes go in cut side down. They will hiss if there is any moisture left on them.
Leave them alone for three to four minutes. The cut sides will color.
Turn them. Add a splash of water and cover the pan. Two minutes more. A knife should go into the thickest radish without much force.
Remove the lid. Let the water cook off. When the pan is dry again, the butter will start to smell like hazelnuts. Add the vinegar. It will sputter and reduce almost immediately. Roll the radishes in it.
Salt. Taste.
The greens can go in at the end, off the heat, if they are young. They wilt in thirty seconds. If they are too bitter, leave them out.