Not much going on around here due to the Actual Situation. We are getting take-out from local restaurants about twice a month, but otherwise we are eating at home.
When I was waiting in line to buy potatoes at the neighborhood Friday market I started looking around and wondered: why only potatoes, why not some of the other (weird) regional and seasonal products? So I brought home some Schwarzer Rettich, or Black Radish.
After intensive research (read: perused a few German food blogs) I can tell you that the Black Radish is related to the White (Beer) Radish, the skin can be eaten but is often peeled away, it’s a source of Vitamin C, and it’s in season in late fall through the winter. Eat it cooked, marinated, or raw. I sampled some of the raw root and found it milder than the Beer Radish but with the same little (weird) kick at the end.
Because it is winter, I auditioned the Black Radish in a cream soup (yes, this is the least adventurous way to eat a (weird) vegetable). With a 5:4 radish-to-potato ratio it was kicky, but not annoyingly so.
My final product is not as smooth-looking as pictured in the recipe source, but we like some texture in our pureed soups. We added some bratwurst to make it a weekday meal–protein, veggie, and potato all in a bowl. (Assume a green salad outside of the camera’s field of view.)
The creamy white garnish (I am not a food stylist) is Saure Sahne, which translates to Sour Cream, but has less milkfat (10%) than US sour cream, and a slightly more acidic taste. Schmand is closer to US sour cream, with 24% milkfat. They are interchangeable for soup garnish, but I use Schmand more often for other foods.
I am looking forward to seeing what is new and interesting (weird) next week!