Happy Easter from the REDS--and Radishes

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Happy Easter, and Happy Passover, to those who celebrate! And to us all, HAPPY BUNNIES! 

This is my vintage bunny painting that I bought at the Round Top antique show a few years ago. It was a totally random purchase, but I thought it was so charming, and now it seems very appropriate for the Easter/spring season.

Did you ever wonder about the whole Easter Bunny thing? (Besides the fact that giant Easter bunnies are more than a little creepy...) Supposedly, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws. But the Germans didn't come up with the idea. It goes much further back.  One theory, according to Time, is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from the ancient pagan rite on which many of our Easter traditions are based —the festival of Eostre, which celebrated fertility and the spring rebirth of the earth.

I am fine with all that, as long as the bunnies are not eating my garden.

And speaking of gardens, here's another little celebration of spring. Gorgeous fresh radishes are in the farmer's market and probably in your supermarket as well. Do you ever wonder what to do with those lovely radish greens?

I can never stand to just throw them away, but I have an answer! 

This recipe is courtesy of Jeanine Donofrio at loveandlemons.com and I'm so glad I discovered it.

RADISH GREENS PESTO

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pine nuts or pepitas
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup radish greens
• 1 cup basil
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more if desired
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

• In a food processor, combine the pine nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper and pulse until well chopped. Add the lemon juice and pulse again.
• Add the radish greens and basil and pulse until combined.
• With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until combined. Add the Parmesan cheese, if using, and pulse briefly to combine. For a smoother pesto, add more olive oil.

I toast the pine nuts first.

And here is my finished pesto! So easy! So good!

I can't even describe how yummy this is. The radish greens tone down the basil a bit, and give the pesto a really fresh, lemony, peppery note. This is good on pasta, on rice, chicken or fish--pretty much anything.

So, REDS and readers, how are you celebrating today?