Few vegetables elicit as strong a reaction as radicchio. The red-leafed Italian chicory has a bold, slightly bitter taste. Mix it with subtle and delicate salad greens such as bibb lettuce, and you’ll have wonderful contrasting flavors. Eat it plain, and radicchio can be so overwhelming that you’ll swear off a repetition.
The fault isn’t with radicchio but with the way it’s served. The key to enjoying this vegetable is to use it in small amounts as a flavoring ingredient, just as you would an herb.
You will not only experience the delightful taste of the vegetable but also get the advantage of radicchio’s stunning good looks, as well. The red-and-white variegated leaves add their beautiful colors to salads, appetizers and side dishes.
You’ll find radicchio in good supply through April. Some supermarkets display it with other gourmet perishables in the produce section. Avoid heads with brown spots or limp leaves. Each head should be compact but not so tight that you can’t peel off a few leaves without tearing them.
Buy only enough to use within a few days. A small head, the size of a baseball, is enough to flavor two salads or make one side dish for two. Until you’re ready to use radicchio, refrigerate it in a plastic bag with air holes.
For a salad, toss three parts bibb or Boston lettuce with one part radicchio leaves and top with your favorite vinaigrette dressing.
For a delightful and unusual accompaniment to beef, saute red onion and radicchio in olive oil and toss with dried cherries, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sugar and walnuts. The taste, piquant, sweet and fruity, is wonderful with broiled skirt steak.
Sweet and sour radicchio
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small head radicchio, coarsely shredded
¼ cup dried cherries
1½ to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (see note)
1½ to 2 teaspoons sugar (see note)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts, optional
Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion; saute on high 2 to 3 minutes. Add radicchio and saute 1 to 2 minutes or until limp. Add cherries, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer 1 minute. If desired, sprinkle with walnuts. Makes 2 servings.
Note: Start with the lesser amount of vinegar and sugar. If the balance of sweet and sour isn’t to your taste, increase either the sugar or the vinegar.
Honey-chili-rubbed skirt steak
1 12-ounce skirt steak
1 small garlic clove
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 lime wedges, optional
2 flour tortillas, optional
Using a small, sharp knife, make shallow diagonal slashes in both sides of skirt steak to score. Rub both sides of meat with garlic. Discard garlic. Combine salt, pepper, honey, chili powder and lime juice in a cup. Stir well. Spread mixture over meat, covering both sides. Place meat on a plate, and refrigerate it 2 hours.
Place meat on rack of broiler pan. Broil 3 inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side or to desired doneness. Remove from broiler. Let stand 5 minutes, then thinly slice against the grain.
If desired, serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the steak and with flour tortillas for wrapping the meat. Makes 2 servings.
Note: This steak can also be cooked on an outdoor grill. Allow about 3 to 4 minutes per side over direct heat.
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
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