Sola Gratia 2.4: Season Two/Week Four

Yes, I know, I know....I missed week three. I actually started a post but it was a very busy week....maybe I can squeeze it in later.

However....Week Four has some gorgeous stuff!! I am not the biggest radish lover but Sola Gratia is slowly turning me around. Our half share this week had beautiful little radishes, kale, mint and sugar snap peas (!!).

I found some intriguing recipes for radishes but none of them seemed to go with grilled brats...and that's what we were having last night...and tonight we're meeting friends for dinner so I needed to figure out something brats-friendly if I was to get a post up this week. I decided to make some kind of slaw that I could put on top of my brat. I knew Ernie would demand his on the side and Owen would probably just have a nibble. Leo, well phhttt. 

As I stood in the kitchen pulling out vegetables and ingredients, Ernie was outside on the patio starting the grill.  I heard someone else's voice and I looked out to see two Fire Department guys walkeing up to the patio, saying, "What you got going there sir?" Ernie looked at them and said in a slightly puzzled voice because well...it seemed kind of obvious, "Uh....I'm starting my grill, I'm cooking brats." They asked if it was a smoker. Ernie told them no, it was a charcoal starter, that he used it with newspaper because he didn't like to use lighter fluid and looked at them inquisitively. They said, "oh, so that smoke will stop once the fire gets going?" Ernie held on to his tongs, looked at them and said, "Yeah...... I'm just grilling brats...." They said somebody in the neighborhood had complained that the smoke was bothering them but that everything seemed fine.

They were very nice....it just seemed odd. We grill outside more days than not every summer. Weird. Of course my paranoia kicked in and I assumed it was the neighbor that hates us but Ernie just said dryly, "Let's just chalk it up to concerned neighbors." 

I guess those neighbors definitely weren't home the night of the smoke bomb.

Anyway....after that weirdness I went back to my food processor. I love to use it for grating things but of course a box grater would work just as well. I had some golden beets I'd gotten at the farmers' market  last week and hadn't used so I grated those and then all the radishes. I combined them with a simple vinaigrette of about 1-2 teaspoons, dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of olive oil and about 3 tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar (although cidar vinegar would be good as well) and tossed it with some salt and pepper. 

I had it last night and thought, eh, it's o.k. This morning I took a bite of it though and it was an entirely different animal---it was wonderful! It definitely needs a few hours to sit....the flavor of the mustard comes out and brightens the whole thing. Also, don't be afraid to use a fair amount of salt on this.

Now, I kinda wish I had more radishes.  

Did you ever think you'd hear me say that?