Saturday, August 17, 2013

Grilled Castelfranco Radicchio

Lynne from Cafe Lynnylu is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have an Italian heirloom vegetable - Castelfranco Radicchio.

Castelfranco radicchio© by Haalo
If you think of radicchio you're probably going to picture it as a red vegetable - whether it is the round Chioggia or the elongated Treviso - so when I saw this at the market I knew I had to buy it.

It is classed as a white radicchio, its leaves speckled with "radicchio red". A winter only crop it originates from Castelfranco in Veneto.

The dish I've made is suitable for any season - if you can't find this radicchio, you can use treviso radicchio or baby cos lettuce.

Grilled Castelfranco Radicchio with lemon herb dressing© by Haalo

Grilled Castelfranco Radicchio with lemon herb dressing

1 Castelfranco Radicchio cut into quarters
Dressing
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 anchovies
lemon juice, to taste
fresh parsley and celery leaves, chopped

I've used a cast-iron grill pan on the stove top to cook this radicchio but if the weather is fine, you could do this on a bbq.

Prepare the radicchio:
Remove any damaged outer leaves and then cut into quarters. Rinse under running water and pat with paper towel to remove any excess water. Brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil.

Make the dressing:
Crush the anchovies in a mortar and using the pestle stir in the vinegar and olive oil. Taste and add a little fresh lemon juice. Just before you're ready to serve, stir in the chopped herbs.

Cook the radicchio:
Make sure the grill pan is hot. Place the wedges in the hot pan, cut side down. After 30 seconds, turn the wedges onto the other cut side - you should have grill marks appearing on the flesh. Give it another 30 seconds, and then turn onto the final side. You can repeat the process to create a cross hatch if you like.

Remove from the grill and place on a serving dish - drizzle each slice generously with the dressing and serve.

3 comments

  1. I am envious ;) I have never had this type of radicchio. It's quite beautiful. I have had grilled radicchio and I love it.

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  2. Wow, what a gorgeous vegetable! Love the purple speckles. :)

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  3. Ooh what a pretty vegie.
    I love using red radicchio in risotto as it sweetens a little as it cooks. I must keep my eyes open for the white variety, though I'm sure with all the Italian Nonna's with their gardens around my area I'm sure to come across it soon. :-)

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