Lustrous crimson leaves of Radicchio
Last winter my Italian-Australian friends at the community garden introduced me to that confusing tribe of vegetables variously known as Chicory, Radicchio and Endive. I was familiar with curly Endive whose pale frissy leaves catch at the back of your throat in a salad mix and the Belgian Witloof which is wonderful baked with ham and cheese but I had never tried Chicory pan di zucchero or the bright red radicchio rossa di Verona or palla rossa. I have just planted seed of the latter which should be ready for picking in about 12 weeks though there will be plenty of baby leaves in the meantime. Glancing at an Italian cookbook I like the sound of Radicchio con purea di fagioli which uses the leaves dressed with vinaigrette and topped with a cooked bean puree.
This is not a familar vegetable to us. Look very interesting, I would think it is lettuce:).
ReplyDeleteRadicchio looks great,does it taste as good as it looks? I have found the Italian seeds great value and always have good success rate on germination.
ReplyDeleteThe seeds are from "The Italian Gardener"and are great value because they are generous in quantity. I like these radicchio because you can cook with them or use them in a salad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, cheers Ian