Black radish salad with sour cream (Salat iz redki)

1. Scrub the black radishes well, peel them and grate them on the coarse side of a grater (or into matchsticks).

2. Salt lightly, mix and leave for 15 minutes; then squeeze out the released liquid – this tames the sharpness and keeps the salad from getting watery.

3. Peel the carrot and grate it too.

4. Chop the onion very finely.

5. Mix the radish, carrot and onion with the sour cream, season with pepper and add more salt if needed.

6. Serve straight away, cold, with rye bread or alongside meat.

Tip: Black radish is the vitamin bomb of the Russian winter kitchen; folk medicine uses it against coughs – a hollowed-out radish filled with honey makes a "syrup".