On The Side #11 | Radicchio
Bitter and tw...asty
It's a good time of year for people who want alternatives to the always available frozen peas, broccoli and bags of baby spinach on the side. Especially for people, like me, who enjoy a little bitterness (okay, vibrancy too).
Admittedly I’m lucky I can pop over to a greengrocer who, through February, will typically have a number of radicchio varieties in stock: the round, always there one (Chioggia); the long, sturdy one (Treviso/Trevisano); the funny wavy witchy fingery one (Tardivo - which is actually a forced version of Treviso); a fancy, dainty easy to eat and look at baby pink one (sometimes referred to as Rosa); and the one that looks more like a peacocking lettuce than a chicory (Castelfranco).
If you’re not in a similar position then look to Natoora (UK and parts of USA - you’ll find other specialities there too, such as variegated Grumolo and the round Verona, which is similar to Chioggia), or buy via Ocado (who stock Natoora-supplied radicchio).
[Side note: Natoora do a clever ‘radicchio not roses’ Valentines campaign and produce box - check it out (not an ad)]
Given a little effort you probably *can* source radicchio to eat at home. So get some in … but then what?
At it’s most basic (i.e. in or as a salad), radicchio is a colourful leaf that carries sharp and salty dressings well and, even if raw, stands-up to rich, hearty cooked meats (beef, lamb, venison and roast chicken in particular). Which means *newsflash* radicchio can be your no-effort-no-time-needed side dish.
A number of the varieties (Chioggia and Treviso especially) are good when cooked; a task that also takes very little more time than dressing a salad). Heat mutes (but does not destroy) the bitterness. And texturally these sturdy leaves become pliant and succulent in the same way as, say, cabbage. Cooked leaves also LOVE punchy dressings and embellishments (I’ll talk more about what a bit further on), and are basically a really excellent genre of sides you should include in your armoury.
What lies beneath?
Below you’ll find musings on what centrepieces radicchio goes especially well with; what other vegetables and carbs you might serve alongside these leaves; adaptable ways to prepare and embellish; and then three recipes:
Wilted radicchio with a sweet-sour maple syrup and sherry vinegar dressing;
Griddled radicchio wedges with an anchovy-creme fraiche sauce; and
An A1 radicchio and blue cheese salad, with a blood orange dressing.
If you’re a paid subscriber, enjoy! Thanks so much for supporting this publication. If not, maybe now’s the time to upgrade?
Obvs no worries — I hope at the very least that first image brought some cheer to your day. See you in a week for the next instalment of ‘Supplemental’, rounding up the best recipes in the broadsheet papers (and online) through January.
All the best, Ed