Radicchio can have a very strong bitter flavor, and it does well with something to mitigate that bite. Here, salty sweet pancetta and balsamic vinegar team up to tame the bite. This goes well with roasts and stews.
INGREDIENTS:
1 head radicchio, quartered through the root 4-8 slices pancetta (the number will depend on how big the slices are) unrolled, or 4-8 slices thin sliced bacon ¼ red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise through the root Olive oil as needed ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, slowly cooked down to a syrupy consistency, around 2 tablespoons ½ cup orange juice, slowly cooked down to a glaze, around 3-4 tablespoons 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary needles Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
Take up a few onion slices and lay them parallel to a radicchio wedge. Lay an end of a piece of pancetta or bacon over the end of the onion and radicchio to the left (assuming you are right handed, as I am not) so the strip comes towards you, and then pick up the wedge and pin the pancetta end and onion under the left thumb. Wrap the pancetta under the wedge and around, maintaining a small overlap at the edge, and wrap until you reach the end of the radicchio or pancetta. If the pancetta is not long enough, add the second strip under the first with an inch or two overlap and continue until the wedge is covered. Trim excess if needed. Continue with the rest of the radicchio.
Heat a pan large enough to hold all the radicchio without crowding over medium high heat. When hot, film with oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add the bundles to the pan. Sprinkle some of the rosemary needles into the pan. Cook until the pancetta is crisp and brown. Carefully turn the bundles over, browning the other side. Once the other side is done, brown up any other spots that need it. When the wedges are done, carefully transfer them to a platter or individual plates.
Warm the reduced orange juice and paint over the radicchio bundles. Drizzle the balsamic syrup over the bundles, and then season with salt and pepper and add few rosemary needles.
Serve hot or warm.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
You can skip the onions if you wish. Try pairing this with caramelized onions piled up with the wedge on top. You can do this without the orange glaze and use a little more balsamic glaze, or you can pour orange juice onto the radicchio before you wrap it up. If you are concerned that the bundles will not stay wrapped I the pancetta, use a rosemary stem stripped of needles to pin it shut.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
