There are varieties with a bitterish or sweeter taste, with intense red or diversely colored leaves. Cultivated since the 16th century, radicchio is a vegetable that puts on a show on market stalls during this time. It’s rich in mineral salts, including potassium and phosphorus, as well as B vitamins, vitamin C and K. Like all vegetables of this color it’s rich in antioxidants and, due to its low energy capacity, it’s suitable for low-calorie diets. Among the best known in Italy is the red radicchio from Verona, Treviso, and Chioggia. Here are our tips for cooking it.
Lasagna with radicchio and sausage
An unusual lasagna with a strong flavor. To prepare it, clean 2 lb of radicchio and let it wither in a pot with a drizzle of oil and a clove of garlic. Do the same with 9 oz of sausage. Then make the lasagna by alternating layers of pasta (1 lb) with the radicchio, slices of smoked scamorza cheese, pieces of sausage and spoons of béchamel sauce (1 lb). Bake at 180° for about 20 minutes and serve.
Puff pastry and radicchio
This strudel, quick to prepare, can be a single dish or an appetizer if served in pieces. To make it, get a roll of puff pastry, spread it on a table and cover the surface with breadcrumbs. Separately, wilt 1 lb of radicchio leaves in a pot with a knob of butter. Add two pears cut into cubes, brown them, and add salt. When everything has cooled down, add diced smoked scamorza cheese to the radicchio and distribute the filling over the puff pastry.
Overlay the edges of the puff pastry making sure that they close properly, and ends are sealed. Brush the surface of the strudel with a beaten egg yolk and bake at 180° for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for a few minutes and serve with a delicious salad.
Frittata with radicchio and taleggio cheese
A tasty main course that is prepared at the last moment. Clean and cut 1 lb of radicchio into strips, brown for ten minutes in a pot with a knob of butter and salt. Separately beat five eggs with some grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and two tablespoons of milk. Add the radicchio and pour the mixture into a well-oiled pan. Cook the frittata for ten minutes then spread thin slices of taleggio cheese on the surface and put everything under the grill for five minutes. Serve the frittata with some new spinach.
Penne with radicchio and walnut
This recipe combines the strong and slightly bitter taste of radicchio with the sweetness of chopped walnuts. Stew 1 lb of radicchio in a pot with a knob of butter and when cooked add 3 oz of walnuts that you have browned before with bacon cut into strips. In another pot, cook the penne, drain and add them to the mixture of radicchio and walnuts and sauté for a few seconds. Serve with a sprinkling of black pepper.
Glasses with cotechino
A tasty finger food with strong flavors. Cut and cook 1 lb of radicchio in a little butter until it is very soft. Salt and place it on the bottom of a small glass. Place thin slices of Montasio Cheese on top, which will melt with the heat, add the cotechino previously diced and cooked and finish with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts. Stir and serve immediately.
Focaccia with radicchio and scamorza cheese
Quick to prepare, this focaccia can be served as a first course or as the appetizer of a rustic menu. To prepare it, roll out the bread dough in a low edged baking pan and well-greased with oil. Spread two or three tablespoons of oil on top and bake for 15 minutes at 200°.
In the meantime, cut three tomatoes into thin slices or if you prefer, use a puree. In a pot, sauté 1 lb of radicchio leaves cut into strips with a tablespoon of oil, two splashes of balsamic vinegar and half a chili pepper. When the focaccia is ready take it out of the oven, spread the tomato, the slices of radicchio and fennel seeds on top. Sprinkle with a drizzle of olive oil and put it back under the oven grill for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, add the scamorza cheese cut into pieces and some slices of bacon. Put under the grill for another 5 minutes, remove, cut into slices, and serve.
Sea bream with radicchio and olives
Tasty and easy to prepare. Bone and clean 2 or 3 salted anchovies, put them in a pot with a drizzle of oil and a clove of garlic and cook until they become a puree. Add 1 lb of radicchio cleaned and cut into strips with some Taggiasche olives cut into small pieces, the gilthead bream fillets, two ladles of milk and a pinch of pepper. Cook with the lid on until the fish is soft. Serve the sea bream on a bed of radicchio, olives, and anchovies.
Radicchio fillet
A delicious main course that can be prepared at the last minute. Brown the pork fillet in a little olive oil, then put it in an oven dish covered with coarse salt and bake at 180° for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, clean the salt off and let it rest for a few minutes. Separately cut 1 lb of radicchio into strips, sauté in a knob of butter and put aside. In another pan, toast crumbled stale bread with drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic until golden. Compose the dishes with the slices of meat and radicchio, garnished with breadcrumbs and serve immediately.
Chestnut pancakes with red radicchio
Prepare these pancakes by mixing 3 oz of 00 flour with 3 oz of chestnut flour. Add 1 cup of milk and knead the dough until it is homogeneous. Add a yolk, stir, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered. Separately, beat an egg white until it stiffens, add it to the mixture and pour a ladle into a non-stick pan. Cook the pancakes two minutes per side. When they’re ready, sprinkle them with radicchio cut into strips, season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a splash of pepper and serve hot.
Sandwich with radicchio and Arnad lard
For these small sandwiches you can use black bread, which also goes very well with Arnad lard. In a pan with a knob of butter, brown the thinly cut radicchio for a few minutes. Fill the sandwiches with slices of lard, radicchio, a few chopped walnuts, and a drizzle of chestnut honey.