Radicchio (rah DEEK ee oh). It comes in a few forms, but all (that I know of) are a lovely purpley red with some white markings. The names indicate the origins of the varieties, according to Wikipedia. All are from Italy.
The Chioggia form of radicchio, shown above, and on the left at right (lol) looks like a very small red cabbage, but of course it tastes entirely different. Treviso is an elongated head a few inches in diameter (and in my experience is usually a lot more expensive). These are the two forms we see at our store and in farmers’ markets. [Alas, long cooking or grilling can turn the leaves brown, so it is not always so cute.]
Radicchio has a somewhat bitter taste, and if you find that offputting — well, wait, how would you describe the taste of salt, all by itself? Radicchio is mostly used as an ingredient, which adds depth and interest to many dishes. It’s most often (but not always) cooked. Wikipedia says, “Radicchio has a bitter and spicy taste which mellows if it is grilled or roasted.” However, it’s important not to leave the impression that the bitterness is a problem — it is an interesting taste and adds dimension!
[I think this is overkill and unnecessary, but including for completeness: Michael Chiarello at the Food Network site suggests “Submerge the radicchio quarters in ice water for 1 hour to remove some bitterness. Put a plate on top of the radicchio to keep them under water.”]
At the risk of another mile-long diary, I am going to offer only recipes we cook at pixxer house. There’s a link below to a Martha Stewart salad, and I recommend exploring her site for radicchio recipes. All recipes here are as we make them, for two people, except for the single sandwich.
TL;DR rescue — this is what’s included in the diary:
- a side dish/small plate where radicchio is the center of attention
- three pastas, one of which is a ravioli (2 veg)
- one pizza, which is a derivative of one of the pastas (veg)
- one panino (veg)
- and a complete, luxury grilled dinner where radicchio is a central component.
Grilled, prosciutto-wrapped radicchio
This may be why we first bought radicchio to cook for ourselves. We had this at a tiny restaurant, now, alas, no longer with us, called “L’Osteria del Forno,” on Columbus in San Francisco’s North Beach. In its heyday, they would not take reservations; the people waiting outside just remembered who was next and looked out for each other. We loved it.
Our successful mimic of the dish: cut wedges of radicchio — perhaps 1/6 of a chioggia? It’s most convenient if each wedge contains a bit of the stem, so the leaves hold together easily.
Wrap each wedge in prosciutto. The prosciutto manages to stick to itself pretty well. Unless you’re using very tiny pieces of the meat, you don’t need toothpicks or anything like that.
Grill, covered, on medium, so the radicchio softens and cooks before the prosciutto overcooks.
The photo above is from our last visit to the restaurant (we had no idea it would close). I think they may have used treviso rather than chioggia radicchio — it was quite long. They served it with something like tartar sauce, but it is not described in the menu, and I can’t ask any more. I like to put prosciutto-wrapped radicchio over a bed of baby lettuces lightly dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette. I serve them with a sharp knife so it’s easy to cut bites.
Pappardelle with pancetta/bacon and onions
I always make fresh pasta for this dish, b/c it’s so good and the “sauce” is so easy. Also b/c I did it the first time and it would be hard to retreat from that :) The original recipe is from Saveur. This is how I make it for the two of us. Ingredients in bold.
Two servings-worth of pasta, preferably pappardelle — wide noodles. Buy or make your own. My pasta un-recipe is from Paul Bertolli — one cup flour, one large egg, mix, add water if necessary, knead slightly, wrap in waxed paper and let sit at least an hour, roll. [For this dish, I shortchange the flour a bit and use the smallest “large” egg I’ve got — or just make it and use it all, what the heck.] I roll the sheets to a “5” in my Atlas pasta machine and hand cut the wide noodles. It’s fun :)
Warning: Note that the onions cook for 30 minutes after you cook the bacon/pancetta, so start early! This fits nicely into the time the pasta dough is resting, in case you are making fresh pasta.
- Cut one thick or two thin slices smoked bacon, or a round of smoked pancetta, crosswise into matchsticks. Cook the bacon at med-low in 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil till completely browned — perhaps 5 minutes.
- Cut about 4 oz yellow onion into modest dice. Remove the cooked bacon/pancetta from the pan, add chopped onion and 1 pinch salt and some grinds of pepper, lower the heat to Low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
- Cut 2 to 3 oz radicchio into julienne (this is about 1/3 small head).
- About 5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking, return the bacon to the hot onion pan, and add the julienned radicchio. Cook, stirring frequently, till the radicchio is well wilted.
- [A minute or so before the pasta is done, I ladle pasta water into the serving bowls to heat them.]
- Drain the pasta, and mix into the radicchio mixture; add [less than?] 2 Tbsp pasta cooking water [which is conveniently present, heating the serving bowls].
- Toss well, and serve, grating parmigiano over the top of each serving.
Ravioli filling with radicchio, onions, and mascarpone [vegetarian]
Ravioli al Radicchio Rosso — originally from Bon Appetit (via epicurious, no doubt)
Make pasta dough as described in the first recipe. I roll out the sheets one at a time (to a “6” for ravioli) and fill them, and if I have more dough than filling, I cut the final sheets into linguine or some other form and use them for a tiny lunch later. [Would a ravioli “how to” WFD be of interest? Or “how I do” anyway? Hint: no “ravioli maker” is necessary, or even desirable, in my book.]
For the filling (for two people):
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add about ½ of a red onion, thinly sliced (about ½ cup) and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in ½ cup thinly sliced radicchio (cut quarter-heads, probably two? crosswise), stir into the onion, and salt (I used a “smidgen” — about 1/32 tsp).
- Stir in 2 Tbsp dry red wine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the radicchio is very soft, stirring frequently and adding small amounts of water if it gets too dry. The original recipe says this takes 40 minutes but I’d say no more than half that. Uncover and saute till the liquid has all dried up, perhaps 5 minutes.
- Mix in ¼ cup mascarpone. Season with pepper, and more salt if necessary.
- To serve, fill the ravioli, boil (6 mins), and serve in heated bowls. Melt ½ stick butter and pour over the two servings, and grate ½ cup parmigiano over the top.
Fettucine with grilled radicchio and endive, toasted walnuts, and Roquefort [vegetarian]
A favorite recipe from Weber’s Art of the Grill
For the two of us:
- Cut ¼ cup walnuts into not-terribly-small pieces (4-6 per walnut half?) and toast in a dry pan on low-to-moderate heat, stirring very frequently (I do it constantly) from bottom to top so they do not burn. This may take about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Cut one small Belgian endive lengthwise through the core, leaving the stem intact.
- Radicchio: For a very small head, cut in half and then quarter, again leaving the leaves attached to the core; use two of the quarters. For a large head, cut out a quarter of the head.
- Brush the radicchio and endive with olive oil and grill over a medium flame (or indirect-medium if you have that option) turning once, till they they are lightly charred — perhaps 8-10 minutes. [I expect you could do this carefully with a broiler if you don’t have a grill or it’s raining, but I have never tried it.] Let the veggies cool.
- When the veggies are cool enough to handle, cut the core from the radicchio, discard the any burnt outer leaves, and cut crosswise into 1/4” ribbons. Cut the endive crosswise into 1/4” chunks. (I usually eat the cores :)
- Cook two servings (4-5 oz total) of fettucine till done.
- Meanwhile, mix 1 ½ Tbsp walnut oil (keep this in the fridge if you, as we, do not use it often), with 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, and add 3 oz French Roquefort (my notes say “Use the good stuff. It matters.”), mashing with a fork to incorporate the cheese. Lumps are cool, though.
- Finely chop 2 Tbsp parsley. (But who measures parsley?)
- Drain the fettucine [using the water to heat the serving bowls]. Return the pasta to the pan, add the dressing and toss to coat thoroughly. Mix in the sliced radicchio and endive, the chopped, toasted walnuts, and the parsley. Season with pepper to taste, and serve in heated bowls.
Pizza with grilled radicchio and endive, toasted walnuts, and Roquefort [vegetarian]
I copy/pasted this title from the pasta above. I also copy/pasted this pizza idea from the pasta recipe, sorta. I enjoy making pizzas derived from other dishes, and this one was quite successful — and if you’re pretty used to making pizza dough, this is a lot easier than the pasta b/c you don’t toast the walnuts or grill the veggies (but don’t tell Weber). The pizza will bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes, so the toppings will be cooked well enough without extra effort.
I make pizzas about 13” in diameter for the two of us, using the crust and the procedure outlined in my blog here. [If you see an ad, I am not making $ off it — Wordpress is, in exchange for giving me free space.] This is what I do for one pizza that size:
Preheat oven to 500F. Time and temperature here presume you are using a pizza stone. YMMV.
- Using one quarter of a medium or large head of radicchio or under half a small head, cut into wedges, core, and cut crosswise into 1/4” slices and separate the leaves.
- Halve one endive lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4” slices, core, and separate the leaves.
- Very coarsely chop ¼ cup walnuts.
- Grate about 4 oz part-skim mozzarella.
- Have ready: a couple oz French Roquefort.
- You can do the following while the pizza cooks if you like:
- Chop a small handful (at least 2 Tbsp, probably more) fresh parsley.
- Mix 1 ½ Tbsp walnut oil and 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar.
- After precooking the crust, per the linked procedure above, sprinkle on most of the grated mozzarella, then the radicchio, endive, and walnuts. Top with the rest of the mozz, and then dot or crumble on the Roquefort. Bake till the crust looks ready — about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle the dressing evenly over the cooked pizza and toss on the parsley. Allow to sit just a bit for the liquid to sink in.
One panino — an example of “just use it in stuff!” [vegetarian]
I ran across a blog entry mentioning this. Forgot entirely about it, but blog says it was delicious. Radicchio can be used in so many ways!
This recipe is from another teensy loved-and-lost restaurant called ‘ino, that was in Manhattan. The cookbooks still exist, however; this is from Simple Italian Snacks — More Recipes from America’s Favorite Panini Bar. by Jason Denton (the chef) and Kathryn Kellinger.
- Slice a ciabatta roll horizontally, and build on the bottom half.
- Add a “single but complete” layer of smoked mozzarella (scamorza).
- Top with about ¼ cup shredded radicchio and 1 tsp dried currants.
- Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Cover with the top half of the ciabatta roll.
- Use a preheated panini press or equivalent (two cast-iron pans? I’m sure someone here has a magic method!) to press and cook the sandwich, until the cheese begins to melt and the bread is golden brown.
- Remove the top part of the roll and drizzle with 1 tsp aceto balsamico, replace the top, cut the sandwich in half and serve immediately. [Denton has an essay on aceto balsamico — i.e. the good stuff, and obviously this is what you want to use if you can, but if, like us, you don’t have the aged Modena variety, try just a balsamic vinegar.]
A luxurious grilled dinner of grilled tuna, radicchio, and green onions, with cannellini beans and aioli
Paul Bertolli, he of the simple pasta dough recipe above, was a chef at Chez Panisse back in the day. One of the marvelous things about Berkeley and San Francisco is that chefs leave Chez P but they are loathe to leave the Bay Area, so they all go out and start their own restaurants. At least two have then gone on to produce outstanding sausages and the like; Bertolli is one of those. You may have seen his brand Fra’ Mani, which I expect is sold nationwide. Highly recommended! But this complete-meal “recipe” is from his Chez Panisse days, and can be found in Chez Panisse Cooking (Paul Bertolli “with” Alice Waters). There are many components — cannellini beans, a dressing, an aioli, grilled tuna, and grilled green onions and (of course) radicchio. All here:
Cannellini beans (full recipe) This is a great way to cook these beans. We use this method all the time, though if they are intended for something sweet (a salad with apples, manchego and avocado, for example) we don’t add the garlic and rosemary.)
Note: This is the full recipe for 4 servings of beans, unlike the rest of the elements of this dinner, which I have halved, for two. Leftover cannellini are infinitely useful!
- Pick over and rinse 1 cup dried cannellini beans and soak in the fridge 12 hours to overnight (I don’t — I use the boil-2-mins-soak-an-hour method).
- Drain the beans, put into a 2-quart cooking pot, with 3 ½ cups water. Add 5 peeled cloves of garlic, a 3-inch sprig of rosemary and ¾ tsp salt.
- Bring the beans to a simmer, cover and cook gently for an hour, or until they are tender.
- Turn off the heat and allow the beans to stand in the cooking liquid.
Garlic mayonnaise (half recipe)
- Pound 1 clove of garlic into a paste using a mortar and pestle. [If you prefer to use salt to make garlic paste, I believe you can “borrow” the 1/8 tsp salt from below and just add it here. I mean, why not?]
- Place 1 large egg yolk in a bowl with of least 1/2-quart capacity.
- Stabilize the bowl with a towel around its base and whisk the yolk rapidly. Add, drop by drop, ½ cup of a neutral flavored oil — I use peanut oil —whisking all the time. Partway through, the mixture will begin to thicken. Once this occurs, add the remainder of the ½ cup oil in a thin, continuous stream until it has all been incorporated. Continue to whisk, while adding 1 ½ Tbsp EV olive oil. This bullet point is the hard part. (The mayonnaise will be very stiff at this point.)
- Whisk in the garlic paste.
- Add 2 ¼ tsp warm water to the scraped mortar to remove the last bits of garlic paste (you don’t want to lose any garlic!) and pour all this in a thin stream into the mayonnaise, whisking all the time. (This will thin the mayonnaise.)
- Whisk in ½ tsp white wine vinegar, 1/8 tsp of salt unless you already have put the salt into the garlic paste, and 1/16 tsp (pinch) of freshly ground pepper.
Use within a day, before the garlic flavor “turns stale.”
Lemon-anchovy dressing (half recipe)
- Debone 2 salt-packed anchovies and soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the water and chop them coarsely.
- Combine the anchovies with 1 shallot, finely diced, and 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (“Meyer lemon, if possible”).
- Grind a little pepper over the top; stir in 1 1/2 Tbsp EV olive oil.
- Taste and correct to your liking (more lemon? oil? salt?
The Grilled things (half recipe)
- Brush with a neutral oil two tuna steaks, 1” thick (about ¾lb total) and salt and pepper them lightly on both sides
- Cut in half, through the core, one firm, small head of chioggia radicchio.
- Clean and trim the root ends from 8 green onions, and trim them to 6 inches in length. Brush the veggies lightly with vegetable oil and salt and pepper them.
- Grill the veggies and tuna over a “medium-hot” fire. Cook the onions 6 minutes, turning every two minutes. until they are soft and lightly charred. Start the radicchio cut side down, and turn every 2 or 3 minutes so the leaves do not burn. Cook about 8 minutes total, until the center is tender and the red leaves have turned brown and wilted. Grill the tuna 2 ½ to 3 minutes on a side, rotating so as to cook evenly. Do not overcook — fish should be slightly pink in the center and moist throughout.
- To serve, core the radicchio, pull leaves apart, and put them, with the onions, in a bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp of the lemon-anchovy dressing. Place the tuna steaks onto serving plates and spoon the remaining dressing over them. Add to the plates some warm cannellini beans and the vegetables, and spoon the aioli over the top. [The original recipe suggests olive oil on the beans, but we use the aioli only.]
- The chef suggests “a simple, crisp white wine.”
Just use it!
But overall is the suggestion “just use it in stuff.” The heads survive quite awhile in the fridge, so quite often Mr pixxer will just julienne off a bit and add to a salad, for the interesting taste, as well as the beautiful color addition. I had a lovely photo of a frisee and radicchio salad from Martha Stewart’s site, to lure you into going there but I’m not allowed to use it b/c copyright. She has a whole lot of radicchio recipes. Try it!
If you have a dish, an ingredient, a cuisine, or something else you’d like to share, consider writing a What’s For Dinner diary. WFD posts every Saturday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET. Kosmail ninkasi23 if you are interested, or reply to her comment below with the upcoming schedule.
So — What’s for Dinner at your place?