Bittersweet maroon leaves pair perfectly with juicy red wine in this elegant winter risotto served with a walnut pesto
B
itter ingredients are not to everyone’s taste, but, amid these darkest months, they make me feel alive. I love Seville oranges, grapefruit, brassicas, bitter greens, chicory and, most of all, radicchio. I like the burgundy-spotted castelfranco (great for salad with citrus and cheese) and the long-locked tardivo (best cooked with balsamic vinegar), but radicchio di chioggia is the popular leader of the pack. A chubby little cabbage-y nugget with a middle-of-the-road bitterness that becomes milder, sweeter and more delicious, especially when cooked alongside a large glass of juicy chianti and finished off with a snowy dusting of parmesan.
Only a couple of the major UK supermarket chains sell radicchio di chioggia, and you’re most likely to find it at a farmers’ market or online via retailers such as Abel & Cole and Natoora. Other red wines may be used in this recipe.
Prep 15 min
