For lovers of radicchio and other bitter leafy vegetables, the winter months are the most wonderful time of the year. It’s definitely the best season to explore radicchio recipes, as it's when the largest variety of these chicories comes to market. In addition to the familiar, softball-sized red radicchio with white streaks, you may notice other types, such as Treviso, with its elongated, deep red spears, and Castelfranco, which are buttery-pale with mauve spots and ruffled leaves.
When at its peak, radicchio's leaves almost shine and may be loosely formed or tightly packed. Cool winter weather brings out a hint of sweetness, but there is no getting around it: radicchio is bitter.
Heat tempers the bitterness; you can tear radicchio leaves into wing-like shapes, mix them with grains or pasta, and toss them in a pan with olive oil or pancetta. You can wilt radicchio directly into a pan of risotto. Radicchio wedges or halves hold up well on the grill and can be roasted or braised—they will become creamy at the center if cooked for a long time. The most common way to use radicchio is raw in salads. It adds vibrant color and texture, and a little goes a long way. Oh—and if you aren't sure how to pronounce radicchio, just say rah-DEE-kee-oh.
10 Winter Fruits That Are at Their Peak Now
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Sautéed Radicchio With Honey and Balsamic Vinegar
This simple side dish shows off radicchio's versatility—it becomes silky and aromatic when sautéed, and a hint of honey adds sweetness. It's a great match for roast meats or Italian sausage.
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Radicchio Salad With Chopped-Lemon Dressing
Radicchio's bitterness can be tamed or balanced by sweetness, fat, and acid like citrus, as in this salad with chopped whole lemon. It's a not-to-be-missed dish.
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Mixed Chicories With Persimmons
Late fall brings sweet persimmons, just when we're anticipating the arrival of the freshest radicchio and other chicories. Combine them in a textured salad for this seasonal delight.
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Chicken With Lemon-Mustard Sauce and Seared Radicchio
With the help of radicchio and a simple yet sophisticated pan sauce, chicken cutlets earn special-dinner status. Don't wait for the weekend to try this.
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Radicchio Salad with Golden Raisins
One word describes this salad so well—simple. It's a must-make recipe with a lemony dressing and sweet golden raisins that turn shredded radicchio into a quick and bright dinner salad.
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Radicchio Slaw With Green Beans and Cauliflower
When is a slaw more than a slaw? When blanched vegetables are tossed in a potent dressing made with roasted garlic, anchovies, and mustard. This dish is a season-straddler and makes a great potluck side salad.
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Spaghetti With Radicchio and Ricotta
A quick toss of spaghetti with ricotta provides instant creaminess. The shredded radicchio wilts instantly, and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs on top adds crunch.
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Roasted Radicchio
Roasting radicchio in a hot oven makes it sweeter and also changes its texture completely; the center becomes tender, but there's a papery crunch at the browned edges. A drizzle of warm dressing or a sprinkling of cheese is a final touch
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Chopped Arugula, Radicchio, and Parsley Salad
This lively salad contains a secret ingredient: a savory, black olive sprinkle. It takes the simple salad over the top, making it a recipe you'll want to add to your forever files.
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Frisee and Radicchio Salad
If radicchio were French, this would be the ultimate in simple bistro salads. Feathery light-green frisée and deep purple radicchio make a handsome pair dressed in an easy red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard dressing. It's a dish as much at home with a plate of roast chicken as it is with steak frites.
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Treviso Radicchio Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
A hot dressing of pancetta with shallots and walnut oil is poured over wedges of radicchio, taking the flavors of Tuscany in a new direction.
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Arugula Salad with Figs, Pine Nuts, and Radicchio
Sweet, ripe figs and balsamic vinegar balance radicchio's bitterness with fruity flavors. Pine nuts add a hint of richness.
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Radicchio-Cabbage Slaw With Honey
Radicchio and Napa cabbage are perfect foils for each other: Radicchio's slight bitterness and color add interest to the otherwise neutral Napa cabbage—which, in turn, has the crunch and sweetness that radicchio can't provide.
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Orecchiette With Mushrooms, Radicchio, and Gorgonzola
A pasta salad can be as simple or as interesting as you want it to be. This one provides enough earthy and strong flavors, via a mix of cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms and Gorgonzola cheese, to match radicchio's quiet intensity.
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Farro Salad With Fennel, Golden Raisins, and Radicchio
This salad would be equally at home at a sit-down dinner, a potluck, or a buffet. Farro, a nutty grain, makes it substantial, and there is extra crunch from thinly sliced fennel.
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Grilled Kale and Radicchio With Almonds and Balsamic-Orange Glaze
Sturdy leaves of kale and radicchio can hold up on the grill—be sure to turn them frequently so they don't char. Dress them with balsamic glaze, and use your finest extra virgin olive oil if you can't find artisanal olive oil pressed with oranges.
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Radicchio and Endive Salad
A vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and honey is whisked in a salad bowl before tossing in the sliced radicchio and endive. Serve this sophisticated salad as is, or sprinkle with chopped bacon, dried cherries, or toasted walnuts.
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Watercress, Radicchio, and Radish Salad
Bright and fresh for winter tables, this salad is also easy and delicious. Try making it with the pointy, crisp leaves of Treviso radicchio, or you could use crunchy Belgian endive in its place.
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