What is it?

Radicchio is a type of leafy chicory known for its spicy, bitter taste. There are many types of radicchio: tight, round, magenta-colored heads of rossa di Verona, elongated rossa di Treviso, and the more unusual rosettes of red-, green-, and yellow-spotted Castelfranco. All these varieties share leaves with a dense, crisp texture and a bittersweet flavor that’s delicious raw or cooked. Although you’ll find chicories in the market year-round, they develop their best flavor in the fall and winter. Cool weather enhances their sweetness and intensifies their color.

Verona (or Chiogga) radicchio adds color and crunch to salads. Castelfranco also adds verve to tossed salads and tastes great grilled. Radicchio di Castelfranco Veneto, on the other hand, is the chameleon of radicchio. No two heads are ever alike; each has its own unique color combination.

Any variety of chicory is perfect for a winter salad. Chicory combines beautifully with citrus, pears, apples, and fresh, sweet root vegetables like turnips and carrots.

How to choose:

When buying, inspect the stem ends. They should be white, with no more than a trace of browning. 

How to prep:

Clean radicchio gently. Discard wilted outer leaves and wipe the heads with a damp towel. Cut out the core from the bottom and peel off the leaves one by one.

When you cook radicchio, it mellows deliciously, becoming almost another vegetable entirely. Cut it in half, rinse and drain it thoroughly, brush it with olive oil, and throw it right on the grill.

How to store:

After you buy radicchio, you can store it in the refrigerator for several days, wrapped loosely in a damp towel.

Recipes

• 
  Recipe

  Corn and Farro Salad

  The fresh summer flavors in this salad are accentuated with the nuttiness of the grain and the bitterness of the radicchio.

• 
  Recipe

  Roasted Radicchio with Balsamic and Blue Cheese

  This simple but festive side pairs beautifully with roast beef, making it a perfect element of a holiday meal.

• 
  Recipe

  Pasta with Sausage, Radicchio, and Green Olives

  Cocktail olives give this pasta welcome bursts of sweet and briny flavor that perfectly balance the subtle bitterness of the radicchio.

• 
  Recipe

  Endive and Radicchio Salad with Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola

  Bitter endive and radicchio are beautifully balanced by pungent gorgonzola nad sweet-tart cranberries in this quick and easy side dish. Serve with braised beef or seared steak.

• 
  Recipe

  Penne with Ricotta, Caramelized Onion, and Radicchio

  Sweet caramelized onion and creamy cheese tame radicchio’s bitter nature in this wintertime pasta. Fried capers add a crisp jolt of brightness to just about every bite.

• 
  Recipe

  Roasted Turnip, Beet, and Potato Salad with Hazelnuts

  Here's a winter salad that won't have you longing for summer. Whole parsley leaves add zip to the mix of greens, while roasted potatoes and root vegetables make it hearty…

• 
  Recipe

  Roasted Beet, Apple, and Pear Salad with Goat Cheese, Cherries, and Pecans

  It's a fruit salad and green salad on one platter. Roasting enhances the natural sweetness of the apples, pears and beets, paired with tangy goat cheese and crunchy pecans. Customize…

• 
  Moveable Feast

  Pork Chop Milanese with Belgian Endive and Treviso Salad

  Chef Hamilton’s pork chops were bone-in and cooked in clarified butter. However, it’s often difficult to thoroughly cook the meat close to the bone in bone-in chops, so we swapped…

• 
  Moveable Feast

  Di Palo’s Antipasto Salad

  Using the highest quality ingredients is key to this salad. Chef Evans used Di Palo’s cacciatorini (hunter’s sausage) that’s rich with red wine and garlic. A tip for easily removing…

• 
  Recipe

  Radicchio and Pumpkin Risotto

  Radicchio gives the rice a lovely winey hue in this dish, and its bitterness balances the pumpkin’s sweetness. The word pumpkin here is used in the British sense--in other words,…