Grilled Radicchio with Melted Cheese by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
The harsh, bitter taste of radicchio, Treviso and other red chicories is not everybody’s cup of
tea and, to be honest, it’s not always mine. But I grow them in my polytunnel anyway because,
for the money, these hardy winter salad plants come into their own when thoughts of salad
are banished and they are cooked for a change. The bitterness is mollified and their natural
sweetness comes to the fore. A trickle of olive oil and a generous slab of melting cheese
dissipate the last traces of austerity and make this a gluttonous winter treat. Incidentally, this
dish also works well with sweeter summer lettuces such as Little Gem. Serves 4 as a starter
Cut 4 tight heads of Treviso or other radicchio into quarters, leaving the base of the stems
intact to hold the leaves together. Brush them with olive oil and season well with salt and
pepper.
Then place cut-side down on a preheated heavy griddle pan – preferably the kind with
raised ridges. Cook for 3–5 minutes, turning occasionally. They are ready when the outer leavers
are well charred and striped from the grill and the stems are just becoming tender.
Arrange the quarters in a dish and lay thin slices of your chosen cheese over them: it might
be goat’s cheese or Taleggio (a personal favourite) or torta di dolcelatte. Add a few more twists
of pepper and another trickle of olive oil and place in a very hot oven, or under a grill, until the
cheese starts to bubble. Serve at once, four quarters per person.
*taken from the book ‘From Seed to plate’ by Paolo Arrigo, published by Simon and Schuster