Grilled Radicchio

I love foods with vibrant flavors. Bitter, spicy, sweet and salty, I love it all and bland food just doesn't impress me at all.

A vegetable I love is radicchio, it is a leaf chicory. It usually comes in small, compact heads and is a deep, dark red color with white center veins.

I like to separate the leaves, leave them whole and put them in a large basket. They will be wilted on a hot grill. I have also done this under the broiler if I am not grilling (actually I never grill- isn't that a man thing? David does it!)

In a large bowl I make the vinaigrette. For two heads of radicchio I use 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and lots of black pepper. It is not science, use what pleases you. This is a very lightly dressed dish, you would probably like the vinaigrette doubled....I don't care for overly dressed foods.

I can highly recommend Frog Hollow Farm organic olive oil. The fresh, fruity flavor is out of this world! We buy it at the Campbell Farmer's Market but they sell at several other markets too.

Put the bowl by the BBQ and grill the leaves, turning if you like (but not necessary) and when they are wilted plop them in the vinaigrette, turning occasionally. 

The radicchio can be served room temperature or it can be heated again. I serve it as a side dish with any meat or fish that does not have a sauce on it.

Today I took my left over radicchio and mixed it with left over sautéed broccoli rabe, another bitter Italian green, similar to a bitter broccoli. 

I warmed them both together and was going to put a couple fried eggs on top, so the yolks would break onto the greens, but we were out of eggs and will not be going to the Farmer's Market until Sunday, so I settled for scrambled egg whites.

Mixed it all together and added a bit of black pepper and it was wonderful. The egg yolk would put it over the top, definitely try it that way. This is a healthy, low carb, flavorful dish to enjoy anytime. 

I have also made this with ground beef instead of egg and find it especially satisfying for breakfast.