Most of us never really think much about the category of produce called chicories. But in Italy, they are prized as both a cooked vegetable and for salads. Italians love bitterness. Think espresso, wine and these vegetables, which due to that bitterness, is considered good for a temperamental tummy.
Until the late 1970s, the only chicories in grocery stores were Belgian endive at fancy shops, the frizzy-leafed frisée, and escarole, the light green leaf lettuce known for its slight bitterness and sturdy stems. They work well in soups like the classic scarole e lenticchie or escarole and lentil soup, and as a very sturdy raw green in the salad bowl. Then round heads of reddish purple streaked with white, the Chioggia variety of radicchio arrived to dress up our salads. At first they arrived on airplanes from Italy for high-end Northern Italian restaurants that wanted to reinforce their links to the northern areas of Italy. It makes sense given that radicchio started being cultivated in Italy’s Veneto region in the 15th century.
Here in the U.S., it became one of those coded ingredients that signaled sophistication. But who could resist the color and crunch? It began to supplant shreds of red cabbage in mixed salads, and home cooks wanted to get their hands on it. By 1981, California growers had started cultivating the round heads. Eventually more seed varieties were sowed so that now we have this wintertime abundance of color, shape and flavor that appears at our farmers markets.
Radicchio varieties are on display at an Italian Farmers Market stall. Photo by Evan Kleiman.
An abundance of color and shape characterizes the different varieties of chicories, often called radicchio.
Chioggia – The tight, deep, red head with white streaks looks like the dictionary definition of radicchio. The white parts of radicchio are the most bitter, which is why this variety is often cooked.
Castelfranco – Also looking like a head lettuce but with a more open habit, this variety is more tender and has a mild bitterness. Castelfranco has a lovely distribution of colors from nearly white, through yellow, and light green tinged with pink. There are characteristic dots of pinky red.
Treviso – This looks like fingers of lettuce held together at the stem. The ribs are white and the soft flutter of deep red emerging from the ribs is tender. The shape is wonderful for grilling.
Tardivo – This is similar to treviso but a bit milder and usually comes in bigger heads with beautiful long ribs. Again, grilling is great for this and would make a stunning vegan entrée.
Rosalba – This looks like it should be a flower instead of a vegetable. It’s the most luscious shade of pinky coral and comes in blowsy open heads. It’s quite mild and should have as little done to it as possible to enjoy its beauty.
Bitter flavors love fat and acid, which is why radicchio is so often paired with bacon or pancetta in salads and dressed with either pungent vinaigrettes or sweet ones with balsamic vinegar. The addition of umami via anchovy and garlic also marries well with chicories. Think of puntarelle, which is nearly always served with a garlic-anchovy vinaigrette. Radicchio is often paired with winter citrus. It’s a color combo to love, but also the sweet acid of the citrus tames the bitterness of the chicory.
But winter chicories are well suited to cooking too, they just lose their color. Treviso is wonderful in a gratin, like this treviso radicchio gratin from famed cookbook author Deborah Madison. It’s made with a thyme-inflected velouté or cheese sauce poured over the radicchio and baked. An easier and lighter way to enjoy any variety of radicchio as a vegetable side is to cut the head vertically into halves or quarters depending on size. Set on a baking dish or lined cookie sheet. Salt and pepper the vegetable, then drizzle with olive oil. Top with Parmigiano Reggiano, mixed with a little bit of bread crumbs, and bake until just wilted and golden. It’s also wonderful grilled, then topped with smoked mozzarella set under the broiler to melt.
You can also “cook” radicchio in a vinaigrette and toss it with pasta like a pasta salad. In a bowl, I mix torn radicchio leaves with a little arugula, sliced mushrooms, caramelized garlic, pine nuts and a little chopped parsley. I dress the salad with really good olive oil, whatever vinegar you love best, and salt and pepper. I toss the ingredients and let the salad sit at room temperature so the marinade softens the radicchio. Then I simply cook some pasta, drain it, and toss in the bowl with the radicchio with some good grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Another richer idea is from my cookbook written with Viana LaPlace, Pasta Fresca.
Penne Piccoline con Radicchio
Tiny Penne with Radicchio Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup EVO
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced (or more to taste)
- A pinch of red chile flakes
- 2 medium or 1 large head radicchio of any variety, washed, trimmed and chopped
- ¼ cup imported Italian pureed tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup cream
- 1 pound imported penne piccoline or another pasta shape
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
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Combine the extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and red chile flakes in a large saute pan. Sauté over low heat to infuse the oil. Add the radicchio to the pan and cook over medium heat until wilted.
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Add the pureed tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens. Add the cream and simmer until the liquid reduces to a saucy consistency.
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Cook the pasta in abundant boiling salted water. When al dente, drain well and combine with the sauce. Sprinkle with parmigiano and parsley and toss. Then serve.