Pasta with red Radicchio (red chicory) recipe

The "Radicchio Rosso di Treviso" (Treviso red chicory) is a traditional product, seen as the expression of the traditional, rural culture of Treviso, a neat city in the northern Italy.

The Radicchio is the result of a bleaching process of the leaves, submitted after the harvest. No chemical venoms involved, don't worry! The process comes from the research made by the farmers: they tried to keep fresh as long as possible the red chicory produced in the fields, during the winter. The technique of forcing the color, necessary to obtain the final typical product, has been used for the first time in the middle of the sixteenth century.

The Radicchio has depurative, diuretic, tonic and laxative proprieties. It aids digestion, the liver functions and stimulates bile secretion. Finally it is well tolerated by all stomachs. When you purchase it, the leaves should not be wilted or too wet: the vitamin content only depends on its freshness.

It can be eaten both raw and cooked: you can prepare raw salads and mixed fresh vegetables with it, or you can cook it grilled or fried.

With the recipe I'm going to share, you will have a good first vegetable dish, powered by the excellent flavors of the olives and the Radicchio.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 320 grams of pasta;
• 500 grams of Radicchio;
• 1 onion;
• 1 shallot;
• 1/2 cup of white wine;
• 4 bay leaves;
• 20 pitted black olives;
• some vegetable broth;
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil;
• salt;
• pepper.

Preparation

As always start by boiling the water, so that you don't waste time during the preparation of the dressing.

Wash and cut the red chicory into thin slices. Do the same with the onion and the shallot, then put the onion and the shallot in a pan with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Turn on the fire and let them brown just a little bit. Then add the red chicory and cook over medium heat, by adding a cup of water and the bay leaves.

When the vegetables begin to wilt, add the white wine and the broth at will. Wait until the vegetables are ready. Then season with pepper, black olives in pieces and with salt.

Lastly drain the pasta, add the season to it and stir up quickly by adding a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese to taste.

The dish is ready to be served!

Sources

maserada.com - Radicchio Trevigiano mi presento...