Radish-top Soup

'Tis the season for Farmer's Markets!  One of my favorite things to look at while at the farmer's market is radishes.  They are just beautiful.  Round, red, crisp, and leafy, rinsed and stacked up, they sit there and call to me.  Alas, I am not much of a radish fan.  However, Roots had some wonderful radish recipes, including one for a soup that uses the TOPS of the radishes (you know, the part that you throw out normally--yay complete eating!), so I couldn't resist.

Radish Top Soup
Radishes with fresh-looking, leafy tops
1/2 onion
2 or 3 stalks of celery 
2 carrots
2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and finely chopped.
4 C broth*

      Begin by washing your radishes, including the greens.  Chop the greens off, discard any icky-looking ones, and set them aside for later.
      Chop the onion, celery, and carrot.  In a large soup pot, sauté them in oil until they are slightly tender.  Add the broth, potatoes, and salt, and bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer.  Simmer until the veggies are completely tender, then remove from the heat.  Immediately add the radish greens-- the heat will cause them to wilt, and (without going too deeply into thermodynamics) the overall mix will cool (only slightly) as the energy is transferred to the leaves.  I think of this because it makes me feel better about the waiting I'm about to do:  you need the soup to cool to a manageable, won't-crack-cold-dishes temperature.
      Impatient cooks, do not despair!  While you're waiting for your soup to cool, start matchsticking those radishes.  I don't know if "matchsticking" is a real term, but basically you're going to slice the radishes into ~1/8th inch slices, then slice the slices into ~1/8th inch strips-- like little matchsticks.
      Hopefully by the time you're done, your soup is relatively cool.  When it is, pour it into a blender or food processor (you may have to do this in batches), and blend/process until smooth.  Return the soup to the pot and gently re-heat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve topped with those matchsticked radishes.

*Note on broth:  I used a bacon broth leftover from another recipe for a warm lentil and bacon salad (I'll post it as soon as I can find my recipe again; there are some measurements I don't remember.)  You can probably use any broth you want (keep it vegan, if you like), but I really felt the bacon flavor added something.

     My whole family enjoyed this soup.  They looked at me funny when I said, "radish tops", but they were all really pleased with the flavor.  The potatoes give the soup a wonderful creaminess that I hadn't expected, and those radish matchsticks added as a garnish provide a nice contrast with their crispness and sharp flavor.  I added leftover matchsticks to the leftover soup prior to storing it; I recommend against this, because they lose their crunch.  
     As I said above, I think a large part of what made this recipe so wonderful was the hint of bacon my broth imparted.  The take-home there, though, might be just to choose a broth with a flavor that you really like, and that will come through well.  If you have the best-ever chicken or veggie broth, by all means, use it.  You probably won't be disappointed.  
     Overall, I really felt that there was an elegance to this recipe as well as a fantastic flavor.  It comes from the presentation (those matchsticks!), but also from how well the ingredients are used.  The concept of using the greens gives a bit of novelty, and the creaminess attained without using cream is beautiful.  It is filling enough to make a meal when served with bread, but light enough to make a soup course (if you ever feel the need to).  I love this recipe even more after making it than I did before I started.