Why You Should Be Eating Radish Leaves, According To Alex Guarnaschelli

Alex Guaranschelli knows a thing or two when it comes to using ingredients that may not be part of your traditional cooking repertoire. The "Chopped" judge has seen and tasted her fair share of odd ingredients and dishes that are created from those mystery baskets the cooking competition show is known for. Guaranschelli shared with Food Network that her least favorite ingredients found in the baskets are hot dogs and chicken's feet. But what we really love about Guaranschelli is how forthcoming she is on social media. Regardless of how successful she has become, she still makes time for her fans, answering their cooking and ingredient questions.

Recently, one of her admirers asked Guaranschelli the following question on Twitter: "What can I do with radish leaves @guarnaschelli @SunnyAnderson @altonbrown @amandafreitag @KatieLeeKitchen?" If you are like us, you would probably tell her to toss them in the trash and be done with them; after all, it's the radish that is the gem, right? Well, not necessarily. Apparently, radish leaves are just as edible as radish. Guarnschelli answered by explaining that radish leaves can indeed be used in recipes, but she also noted that there is one thing you need to do before you use them.  

Per Guaranschelli, the first thing that needs to be done is tasting the radish greens. "Taste them," Guaranschelli posted in response to the Twitter user's question. She added, "Radish greens can vary from bunch to bunch and variety of radish. They can also be very sandy so wash thoroughly." But how can you use them? Guaranschelli suggested that radish leaves are delicious when combined with stir fry or chopped and added to a salad. She even recommended stirring radishes into creamed spinach in her reply. Frankly, these all sound like great ways to utilize the entire vegetable. 

But there are other ways to ensure you aren't wasting those lovely radish greens. Love and Lemons shares you can also use radish leaves to make a nice pesto, noting that their pepper flavor is delicious. The blog goes on to explain that when you purchase radishes you should cut the greens before storing them in the refrigerator, otherwise you won't be able to use them. If you are planning to add radishes to a recipe at a future date, they should be wrapped up and stored in the crisper drawer.