Culinary Guides

This is what spring dinners are made for: a hot grill, a good steak, and a bright green chimichurri that puts the radish tops to work instead of the compost. We grill the radishes right alongside the rib-eyes, then spoon over a punchy sauce of radish greens, parsley, garlic, and red wine vinegar. It comes together in a flash.

Ingredients

For the radish greens chimichurri

• 3/4 cup radish greens, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic scapes, chopped (or 2 cloves of garlic)
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the steaks and radishes

• 4 bone-in rib-eye steaks (about 1 pound each, 1 inch thick)
• 1 bunch of radishes (with greens), halved
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Make the chimichurri

1. Combine the radish greens, parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic scapes or cloves, red pepper flakes, cumin, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth, taste, and adjust. This keeps up to a week in the fridge.

Prep the steaks

1. Season the rib-eyes generously on both sides with salt and pepper and let them sit at room temperature about 25 minutes.
2. Heat an outdoor grill to high and oil the grates.

Grill the radishes

1. Toss the halved radishes with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill cut side down, about 4 minutes per side, until lightly charred and crisp-tender. Set aside.

Grill the steaks

1. Grill the steaks about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare (130 to 135F), adjusting for your preferred doneness.
2. Rest the steaks 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve

1. Plate each steak with the grilled radishes and spoon the radish greens chimichurri over the top.

Grower's tip: When you grow your own radishes you get two crops in one. The leafy tops, usually thrown away, are peppery and tender when young and make a lively chimichurri, so pick the greens while they are fresh and unblemished.

The chimichurri is just as good over grilled eggplant, zucchini, or portobellos if you want to skip the steak.

Grow radishes for both the root and the top. A row from radish seeds plus a steady supply of parsley gives you everything the sauce needs.