Market Basket Recipe: French Breakfast Radishes & Fennel

It's been fun trying new recipes that use the produce in my CSA Market Basket.   Tonight I made an appetizer that I planned on serving alongside a salad as our main meal.  Josh walked in, saw it on the counter and said, "Oh boy...." with some serious hesitation!  He tried it, looked a little leary, then went to the refrigerator and microwaved a leftover hamburger!  I liked it, and it looks like I'll be having plenty of leftovers for myself.

Tonight I used French Breakfast Radishes and Fennel from my Market Basket.

Here's the recipe:

Radishes, Fennel, and Olives with Creamy Feta Cheese Spread

Spicy radishes, sweet fennel, salty olives, and sharp feta cheese tempered with some plain yogurt make an appealing hors d’oeuvre, especially if accompanied by pita breads.  Soaking the radishes in ice water makes them especially crunchy and helps tame some of their spiciness.

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer

15 medium radishes, leaves, stems, and rootlets trimmed (about ¾ lb when trimmed)

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 small garlic clove, minced

Pepper

1 small fennel bulb (about ¾ lb)

18 large Kalamata olives

4 large pita breads, cut into wedges

1. Halve the radishes lengthwise from stem to root end.  Place them into a large bowl of ice water for 30 minutes
2. While the radishes are soaking, use a fork to mash the cheese, yogurt, and garlic together in a small bowl.  When the mixture comes together, add pepper to taste.  Place the cheese mixture in a small ramekin or dish.  Put the dish in the center of a large serving platter.
3. Remove and discard the green stems and the fronds from the fennel.  Remove any blemished or tough layers from the fennel bulb and remove a thick slice from the base.  Cut the fennel bulb in half through the base and use a small, sharp knife to remove the small triangular piece of the core attached to the bottom of each half.  With each fennel piece flat side down and your knife parallel to the work surface, slice crosswise to yield several ½-inch-thick slices.  Cut the slices lengthwise to yield long strips about ½ inch thick.
4. Arrange the fennel and olives around the cheese spread.  Drain and pat dry the radishes with paper towels.  Arrange them on the platter with the fennel and olives.  Serve with the pita breads in a basket.