Radish, Mâche & Arugula Salad with Nettle-Cashew Cream

This salad recipe comes from our Portland Farmers Market Cookbook, out May 24! Until then, take advantage of this sneak peek recipe from Sasha Davies, chef/co-owner of Cyril’s at Clay Pigeon Winery.

This salad pairs sweet mâche with peppery arugula and radishes in three hues for a vibrant taste of spring. Chinese green radishes are shaped like a daikon, but with bright-green flesh. Watermelon radishes are green on the outside, with striking magenta flesh, and are also related to daikon. The idea here is to make your salad colorful, so Easter Egg and French Breakfast varieties are options too if green or watermelon radishes aren’t available. The nettle-cashew cream is a rich and tasty dairy-free alternative to cream cheese or sour cream. You’ll definitely have some left over: it’s delicious served over pasta, as a dip or spread, or thinned slightly to make a sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 green radishes, trimmed, peeled, and cut into ¼-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
• 1 bunch red globe radishes, trimmed and quartered (small ones left whole)
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt (Davies likes the pure kosher sea salt from Portland’s Jacobsen Salt Company)
• ¼ cup yuzu juice or freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 medium lemons)
• 1 to 2 watermelon radishes, trimmed, halved, and cut into ½-inch thick wedges
• 1 bunch mâche
• ½ bunch arugula ½ cup Nettle-Cashew Cream (below)
• ½ cup raw cashews
• 8 ounces nettle leaves (about 8 cups, packed)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

1. The night before you want to server your salad, add the cashews to a small bowl and cover them with plenty of water. Let them sit overnight at room temperature, covered with a kitchen towel.
2. The next day, blanche the nettles; you should have about 2/3 cup, tightly packed.
3. When you are ready to prepare the salad, drain the cashews and place them, along with 1/4 cup water, in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the cashews are very smooth and creamy; this may take a few minutes. Add the nettles, lemon juice, and salt, and continue to blend until the cream has the consistency of a spreadable paste. Taste and check the seasonings, adding more salt and lemon juice if needed.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
5. In a small bowl, toss the green and globe radishes with 2 tablespoons of the oil and a pinch of salt. Spread the radishes in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until just tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a small nonreactive bowl, whisk the yuzu juice with the remaining 3/4 cup oil until combined. Season to taste with salt and set aside. In a large bowl, toss the watermelon radishes, mâche, and arugula with a pinch of salt. Add the warm green and globe radishes to the bowl with the salad greens, pour on the yuzu dressing, and toss to combine. Season to taste with additional salt.
7. To serve, smear a generous tablespoon of cashew cream (instructions below) on each plate, or the entire amount on a large platter. Divide the salad among the plates or arrange it on the platter, on top of the cream, and serve immediately.