Sunday, February 14, 2010

Radicchio, Dandelion, and Blood Oranges

Yesterday, I was out poking around in my garden and came across some radicchio that overwintered. It was growing up in these pretty little rosettes, so I decided to harvest some:
 

I thought the leaves might be bitter, but they weren't...they were actually much sweeter than store-bought radicchio; they worked well with the slightly more bitter dandelion greens. And look at the lovely scarlet colors:


Blood oranges are in season and so delicious at the moment; they were a perfect addition to this salad.  I had the oven on for other items, so I warmed the orange slices and walnuts slightly ( about 1-2 minutes) before adding them. The dressing was fresh blood orange juice, a little drizzle of olive oil, and fresh ground black pepper.

15 comments:

  1. Rose,

    The radicchio looked just like a flower in the garden. So much prettier than I expected it to be.

    Your salad sounds great. I love blood oranges too! It is such a shame they have such a short season.

    Alicia

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  2. Wow! I'm not a fan of Radicchio. So bitter. But your pictures are beautiful.

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  3. Alicia and SV:

    I agree, radicchio can be a bit too much on the bitter side...I'm not sure, but I think this is a variety that's little different than what is usually sold in the stores.

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  4. Rose,

    It may be my Italian DNA but I adore bitter greens. Sometimes my hubby thinks the more bitter they are the more I like them. That is probably true but more obvious to him since he isn't thrilled with them like SV.

    BTW, can't wait to hear how easy it is to grow the Italian Dandelion Greens. Love those bitter leaves!

    Alicia

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  5. Alicia,

    I like the bitter greens too. I hope to have success with the dandelion greens this season...I'll let you know; growing culinary dandelion isn't exactly difficult, but it doesn't just grow at the snap of a finger like the wild version either.

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  6. What a beautiful Rosette for a Rose.

    The salad sounds like something my husband would like, I still squint a little at citrus in salads, its the sharpness. But the bitterness of the radicchio and sharp citrus flavours sound lovely together.

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  7. Oooh, I love radicchio! That's so pretty, too.

    Thanks for commenting on American Vegan Kitchen coming out. I really appreciate it.

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  8. That is absolutely gorgeous! I didn't use to like the bitter greens, but they have really grown on me:)

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  9. Mangocheeks,

    I agree, the sweet and bitter flavors go well together and citrus juice does seem to go well in salad.

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  10. Tami,

    Thanks for your comments, and I am looking forward to using your cookbook.

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  11. Janet,

    I thought the radicchio looked so pretty in the garden, I was in two minds about harvesting it...but I'm glad I did...I agree, bitter greens are something that grows on you over time.

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  12. I love the idea of seeing something, anything, growing in a garden in February, and your radicchio is so pretty, and I love bitter greens, and I have some nice broccoli rabe in the fridge, but it isn't the same...enjoy! I yearn for spring so hard it hurts!

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  13. Zoa,

    I hope spring comes as soon as it can for you!

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  14. Another radicchio lover checking in! :-) I too was struck by how pretty and how like a rose it looked in your garden! Like Zoa, I can't imagine finding anything remotely alive, growing or edible in my garden in February (it was 0º here this morning), but am vicariously enjoying the early largesse of your garden! :-)

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  15. Laloofah,

    We're having unusually warm temperatures this year around here; I hope spring comes soon for you too.

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