Radish or Baby Turnip Taco

Radish or Baby Turnip Taco

With fresh garlic & radish top Tzatziki

Radishes or baby turnips and fresh garlic are delicious and versatile vegetables, so often left to accompany or season. This recipe gives them both time in the spotlight.

A taco can be an easy snack, main meal or sharing party food, equally at home on the BBQ or in the kitchen. A good taco works because it balances competing textures and sensations in one bite. A soft structure giving body and chew filled with crunchy fresh zing, a creamy moistener and some char or smoke.

Finish everything off with lots of fresh herbs in a punchy mustard vinaigrette.

Serves 4 as a main or 8 snacks
Preparation time: 1 hour (including resting the dough)
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
250g bread flour (or plain)
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
60g butter or oil
150g cold water
1 bunch of radishes or baby turnips
1 whole fresh garlic stem
Natural or Greek yoghurt
1 salad bag (SLF)
A good handful of your favourite herbs (fennel, mint and lemon balm work well)
A dessert spoon of dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of honey
A couple dessert spoons of vinegar
A good drizzle of oil
Sea salt flakes and fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven or use a hot BBQ

1. Begin with the dough for the flour tortilla to allow the gluten time to relax, avoiding spring back. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and oil/butter together, then the water before working the dough until smooth. Rest in a covered bowl for at least 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, if using radish, wash and remove the leaves and chop them, but keeping the vegetable whole.
If using baby turnips, wash and keep the leaves intact so that everything can be roasted on the bbq or in the oven and the leaves then chopped to add to the yoghurt.

3. Remove any discoloured leaves from the garlic, cut it in half along its length and finely slice it all. Mix with the chopped radish leaves or roasted turnip leaves (see point 6), salt, pepper and enough yoghurt to give a loose consistency. Set aside for later.

4. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and divide the dough into 8 balls. Roll them out as thinly as possible with plenty of flour and cook in the dry pan one at a time for around 30 seconds each side. The tacos should bubble and the bubbles begin to scorch. Keep them piled together under a tea towel.

5. For the vinaigrette, simply mix the mustard, honey, vinegar and chopped herbs in a bowl, then drizzle in the oil, mixing all the time, until it all comes together and emulsifies.

6. Finally roast the radishes or baby turnips in the oven or char on the BBQ until the skin scorches.

7. To make the Taco, spread some tzatziki on the tortilla, then add some of the picked leaves from a salad bag and top with the radishes cut in half. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and enjoy!

Chef Notes:
1. The fresh garlic can be scorched on the BBQ to make the tzatziki, bringing more smoke and flavour.
2. The tortillas are deceptively fast to cook, over cooking makes them brittle.