Radish Soup with Radicchio and Lemony Greek Yogurt

It’s creamy! It’s tangy! It’s ever so slightly pink in a way that’s hopefully not off-putting!

Radish soup?! I know, weird! Somehow, when I googled "Soup Recipes" on my phone Monday night (because that's how much effort, dedication and planning I've put into my darling Soupruary this year) - the results were chicken noodle, vegetable, minestrone, tomato, RADISH, vegetable again...

And I was like hold up, did you just sneak a radish in there like that was normal? Are radishes super hot right now? Is there some sort of radish fadish I don't know about? And I suppose I could use the very same Internet (luh you, Internet) to investigate all of this, but by that time I was already sold on the soup and watching a video of bunnies in wine glasses. 

This budget-friendly beauty cost me $8.63 in supplies at the friendly Vine St. Kroger, and that includes a whole 5 lbs. of Yukon Golds. Looks pretty fancy for eight bucks, right? And truthfully, you could do without the $2 for the Greek yogurt and the lemon if you wanted to. While I liked the added brightness, part of me just wanted to snuggle up in a creamy soup blanket and tell the yogurt to QUIT KICKING WHILE I’M TRYING TO CUDDLE.

Not only was this one of the cheaper things I’ve made over the years, but it took no time at all. I spent about 20 minutes on this – and the speed of cooking it is matched only by the ease. I left work late, walked to the grocery store and back, prepped, cooked, ate, wrote a bit, watched a TV show and still managed to meet some besties for some intensive girl talk by 7:30pm.

I don’t tend to base my food decisions on such pragmatic concerns, seeing as how “cheap, fast and easy” may not be the strongest selling points for food outside of the White Castle universe, so let’s get emo. I’m in love with radishes, and the affair has been going for quite some time. In a salad, in a stir fry, raw with butter and salt, and now in a soup (!) – radishes are a refrigerator staple for me. The peppery crispness makes the humble radish a viable chip alternative when I'm hankering for a snack, and the way it seems to morph into another vegetable altogether when heat is applied makes me feel powerful (and not just when I’m cooking in a pantsuit).  The fact that they’re one of the OMGcutest vegetables on the planet doesn’t hurt one bit.

But, Cor, I hate radishes, you say. Ignoring the fact that you’re wrong, I still think you’d enjoy this soup. If you left the radish matchsticks out of the equation, you’re really talking about a lighter potato soup in a mysterious hue with an unplaceable but pleasant smidge of je ne sais quoi. The radicchio I bought on a whim in order to add color and texture, but was a bit concerned about also adding bitterness. My worries were unfounded, since the cooking of it removed the bitterness, and that element turned the soup into a meal rather than a starter.  (BRB patting self on back and writing a thank-you note to whoever invented cooking shows.)

In summation, this soup was:

P.s. I used to have a shirt filled with these little guys, and I got a bunch of paint on it two years ago and haven't smiled since. (By shawnimals, btw.)

Creamy Radish Soup with Radicchio

Serves 2

Adapted for texture, fun, and more fat from Eating Well 

1 tablespoon butter

1 ¾ cups washed, trimmed and sliced radishes

2 small shallots, peeled and diced

1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and large diced

2 cups milk (I used whole milk because I choose to be happy in my life, but you do you)

2-3 radishes washed, trimmed and cut into matchsticks

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, minced

¼ cup Greek yogurt

Zest and juice of half a lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

½ cup radicchio, sliced into ribbons (about ¼ of a head)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat, then add sliced radishes and shallots. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add potato and milk, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the Greek yogurt with lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a small pan over medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Add radicchio, season with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until wilted (two or three minutes)

When potatoes are tender, transfer soup to a blender or use an immersion blender in the pot – blend (carefully) until smooth, then return to pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, top each bowl with half the radish matchsticks, half the parsley, half the radicchio and (if using) half the Greek yogurt.