Winter salad - radishes with ginger, nuts and blue cheese

On the topic of my Radish obsession, here is radish salad rendition II.

I know, I know – what?  Trust me, it’s divine.

Radish, ginger, nuts with blue cheese

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp butter

2 cups radish (red quartered, or sliced and quartered daikon)

1 tsp freshly chopped ginger

About 1 cup white wine or half white wine vinegar

½ cup pecans or walnuts, quartered

1 tsp of brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the butter in a pan

Add radishes, sauté until they sizzle in the pan

Pour in about ½ cup of white wine vinegar

Add a quartered pecans or walnuts to the pan

Add brown sugar

Sauté for about 15 minutes, adding white wine or white wine vinegar as it is absorbed

Add ginger

Sauté another 2-3 minutes

When soft or chewy, remove from heat, toss in a couple of table spoons of crumbled blue cheese, top with parsley and serve warm.  

For a variation, or to make a more substantial 'salad course' - consider serving above radishes on wilted Chinese Cabbage - call it Radish Salad Rendition III

For Wilted Chinese Cabbage:

INGREDIENTS

2tbs butter

2 cloves garlic

One medium onion - chopped

One head of Chinese cabbage, separated, rinsed

1 cup white wine

Fresh cumin seeds (use powdered if you don't have fresh)

Salt & Black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt butter in a wok or other large pan

Sauté onion until translucent

Add garlic

Add wine, bring to a boil

Add cabbage all at once (don't worry, it shrinks)

Use a pair of tongs to turn the cabbage in the pan

When Cabbage has wilted down, add a sprinkle of fresh (or dried if you don't have) cumin

Salt & Pepper to taste

SERVE

Serve the wilted cabbage on a plate, top with radish salad.