Roasted Radishes with “Green Goddess” Butter

This is one of those magic tricks where radishes go from sharp + peppery to sweet and mellow once they hit a hot oven… and then you drag them through an herby, garlicky butter situation. Very good news for everyone involved.

Green Goddess Butter

You’ll need:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temp

• 1/2 cup parsley (tender leaves + stems), very finely chopped

• 1/4 cup tarragon, very finely chopped

• 1/4 cup chives, very finely chopped

• 4 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, finely grated

• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

• Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper

Make it:
In a bowl, mash everything together with a fork until it turns into a green-speckled, super-fragrant butter. Taste and season with salt and pepper. (You can also blitz it in a food processor if you want it extra smooth.)

Roast the Radishes

You’ll need:

• 2 bunches radishes (or baby turnips), tops on, scrubbed well

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 lemon, cut in half

• Flaky sea salt + black pepper

Do it:

1. Heat the oven to 425°F.

2. Prep the veg: Slice the radishes in half lengthwise (keep the greens on).

3. Oil + roast: Toss radishes (and the leaves too!) with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the radishes are tender and the greens are browned and crispy, 12–15 minutes.

Serve

Spread a generous layer of the Green Goddess Butter on a platter or shallow bowl. Pile the hot roasted radishes on top, squeeze lemon over everything, then finish with flaky salt and black pepper.

Make-ahead tip

The butter can be made ahead and kept tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Bring it back to room temp before serving so it’s spreadable.

Spicy Harissa-Braised Romano Beans with Lots of Herbs

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil (plus a splash more if needed)

• 2 Tbsp harissa paste (or chili paste)

• 4 garlic cloves, smashed

• 1 large ripe tomato, quartered

• Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup dry white wine

• 1 1/2 lb Romano beans

• 1 cup tender mixed herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill, and/or mint)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions

• 2 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest

How to make it

1. Build the base. Warm the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir in the harissa and smashed garlic and cook for a couple minutes, until it smells amazing and starts to darken a little.

2. Tomato + wine moment. Add the tomato pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the tomato softens and turns saucy. Pour in the white wine and let it simmer until it reduces by about half.

3. Braise the beans. Toss in the beans and stir so they get coated in the spicy tomato sauce. Taste and re-season with salt/pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and let the beans cook without fussing too much—about 15–20 minutes.

4. Finish until tender (not mushy). Keep cooking, covered, until the beans are softened but still have a little bite, another 10–15 minutes.

5. Make it bright. Right before serving, shower the beans with the herbs, scallions, and lemon zest.

Make-ahead

These keep great for up to 2 days in the fridge. Rewarm gently on the stove before serving.

Adapted from Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman

Smoky Eggplant Banh Mi

Quick-pickled veggies

• 1 carrot, peeled + cut into thin matchsticks

• A chunk of radishes or daikon, cut into matchsticks

• 3-2-1 pickling liquid (3 parts vinegar : 2 parts water : 1 part sugar), brought to a boil.

In advance: Put the carrot + radishes in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot pickling liquid over top so they’re fully covered. Chill until cold and lightly pickled (a couple hours is perfect, longer is totally fine).

Smoky eggplant filling

• 2 eggplants

• A thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled + chopped

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 1–2 cayenne peppers, chopped

• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro stems

• 1 tsp dried chile flakes

• 2 tsp fish sauce

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 Tbsp sugar

Char the eggplant: Poke a few shallow holes in the eggplants with the tip of a knife.

• Best flavor: roast directly over a flame, turning every few minutes, until the skin is blackened all over and the inside feels soft.

• No flame: broil on high for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway, until well-charred and tender.

Put the eggplants in a bowl and cover tightly (lid or wrap) for ~5 minutes so they steam. Peel off the burnt skin, trim the stems, and roughly chop the soft flesh.

Make the punchy paste: In a mortar (or small food processor), mash/pulse lemongrass, ginger, garlic, chiles, and cilantro stems until it turns into a rough paste. Mix in chile flakes, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar.

Season the eggplant: Stir the paste into the chopped eggplant a spoonful at a time, tasting as you go, until it’s bright, salty, tangy, and a little spicy.

Build the sandwiches

• 2 bánh mì rolls (or any sub/hoagie roll)

• Mayonnaise

• Sliced cucumber

• Sliced fresh cayenne

• Cilantro leaves, torn

• Mint leaves, torn

• Crispy shallots

Spread mayo on the bread, pile in the smoky eggplant, then add cucumber, jalapeño, the pickled carrot/daikon, herbs, and a shower of crispy shallots. Eat immediately while everything’s crunchy.

Adapted from Cooking with Vegetables by Jesse Jenkins

Chimichurri

This sauce will change your life. There are so many variations, but I like this variety that uses up bunched herbs that we grow a lot of. It’s a great way to use herbs that you don’t have a plan for so that they don’t go to waste, and a beautiful way to add pizzaz to any roasted veggies or meat.

1 small shallot or 1/4 cup red onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cup total herbs, tough stems removed, thin stems okay (I like about half parsley and half cilantro, add oregano too if you like!)

2 T red wine vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Crushed chili flakes, to taste

This sauce is easy as can be, toss it all in a food processor and blend to your desired consistency. Add more oil if it looks dry. Top your veggies, meat, grain bowl, whatever. You’ll be glad you did.

Chocolate Beet Cake

This recipe makes a rich, moist chocolate cake. There is a subtle earthy taste of beets that marries well with the sweet chocolate. 

Ingredients

• 4 oz chocolate

• 1 C butter, softened

• 1 ½ C brown sugar

• 3 eggs

• 2 C pureed beets* 

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 C flour

• 2 tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt 

instructions

Melt chocolate and ¼ C butter together. Let cool slightly. Cream remaining butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs. In small bowl, combine chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla. Beat into butter/sugar mixture (mixture will appear separated, that’s okay!) Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl, gradually add to wet mixture. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan (10 in.) Bake at 375℉ for 45-55 min. Let cool for 10 min before turning out of pan. Serve topped with powdered sugar or chocolate ganache. 

*Note: As opposed to roasting, I prefer to boil the beets until they are soft and then puree them in a food processor. Boiling makes the beets have a milder flavor that pairs well in the sweet cake. You can use any variety of beets but the red ones make the cake an attractive “red velvet” color.

From the Kitchen of: Michelle Phillips

Arugula Pesto

Here’s a little known secret: pesto can be made with a plethora of different ingredients. As long as you have something green and leafy, a nut, a cheese, and a cooking oil you can mix and match the variety of each thing. This version replaces the traditional basil and pine nuts with arugula and walnuts. It’s a cheaper, more plentiful option, and it has a fresh, peppery flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups packed fresh arugula leaves, rinsed and dried

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts

• 4 medium garlic cloves

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Add the arugula, walnuts, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped (about five 1-second pulses), scraping down the sides as needed.

2. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl if needed.

3. Add the parmesan and lemon juice. Pulse just until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 6 months (a resealable bag works great—press it flat for faster thawing).

Adapted from Serious Eats

Beet Hummus

This recipe is nothing like you’ve ever tasted before. It is a surprisingly sweet hummus, almost dessert-like. The large dose of lemon masks the beet flavor but combines with the sugar to make a refreshing summertime dip. Dill rounds it out and adds some sophistication.

• 1 medium or 2 small red beets

• 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 can)

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

• 1 tablespoon dill

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

Instructions:

Boil and puree the beets. For smoothest texture, remove the little papery skins from the chickpeas. Puree chickpeas, oil and tahini in a food processor. Add lemon, dill, salt and pepper to taste. Add water as needed to maintain a creamy texture.

From the Kitchen of: Michelle Phillips

Kuri Squash Puree and Quickbread

For the puree

Cut one whole Kuri Squash in half, scoop out seeds with a spoon. Coat the inside of the squash with a neutral oil (like canola or vegetable oil) and salt. Roast on a baking sheet at 400℉ until insides are soft and scoopable (approx 20-30 min.) Scoop out the orange flesh, leaving the rind of the squash behind. Puree until smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze. Use in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin!

For the Quickbread (makes 2 loaves) 

• ⅓ C neutral oil 

• ⅓ C unsweetened applesauce

• 1 ⅓ C white sugar

• 1 ⅓ C brown sugar 

• 4 eggs

• 16 oz red kuri puree

• 3 ⅓ C flour

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1 ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp cinnamon 

• ½ tsp ground cloves

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp nutmeg

• 1 ⅓ C nuts, raisins, and/or choc chips (if desired)

Heat oven to 350℉. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans with vegetable shortening. Mix oil, applesauce, and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and squash puree. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and spices together in medium bowl. Mix into squash mixture. Stir in nuts/raisins/choc chips. Pour into loaf pans and bake until wooden toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean, about 50 min.

From the Kitchen of: Michelle Phillips

Creamy Celeriac Soup

This creamy bisque-like soup is my favorite thing to do with celeriac. It’s simple and delicious served with buttered toast or a fresh country loaf from your local bakery. For best results, use an immersion blender.

Ingredients

• 1 celeriac (celery root)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 yellow onion diced

• 2 cloves garlic chopped

• 3 cups (700ml) vegetable stock

• 1 cup (230ml) water

For cooking instructions visit:

https://veggiedesserts.com/celeriac-soup/

Romesco Sauce

This is Ashley’s favorite sauce. It’s similar to hummus but highlights roasted red peppers. Great for dipping.

• 3 sweet italian or bell peppers quartered and roasted

• ½ cup raw or roasted almonds (unsalted)

• ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained

• 2 medium-to-large cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vingar

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Add all ingredients except the olive oil to a blender (ideal) or food processor. Lock the lid and blend—start on low, then increase the speed as the mixture begins to catch and move.

2. When everything is mostly broken down, keep the machine running and slowly stream in the olive oil. Continue blending until it looks the way you want: silky-smooth and creamy, or a little more rustic and chunky.

3. Taste and adjust with more salt as needed (up to 1/4 teaspoon). Use right away, or transfer to a jar and refrigerate for 7–10 days.

Adapted from Cookie and Kate