Mellow Yellow

Risotto di Radicchio Variegato di Castelfranco, Peperone & Fiocchi di Pomodoro Secco

Radicchio di Castelfranco, Pepper & Dried Tomato Flake Risotto

When it's cold and rainy and miserable outside, when you walk home in the dark after a long, hard, Monday (ugh!) and you have something in the fridge that is most suitable for a salad... what do you do?

You make something completely different out of it, cooked, delicious and steaming hot, to warm you up and make you smile... that's what!

Because this beautiful radicchio may well be most suitable for a salad... but not exclusively so!

I love the regular, red, slightly bitter radicchio- I love it raw, I love it cooked- I love it any which way! But I know that many, many people do not. Well... maybe this is the radicchio for you!

This beautiful yellow, variegated with red variety, called "Variegato di Castelfranco" is much milder in its bitterness than say, a Trevisano... but still has that typical flavor- and with just a couple o others simple ingredients, went to make a wonderful, Winter risotto!

To make 2 servings of risotto (or just one big yummy serving all for my greedy little self!), I needed just 2 handfuls of risotto rice, 1 Spring onion, 1 small, mild, green pepper, 2 handfuls of finely chopped radicchio, around 3/4 liter of beef broth, 1 tablespoon of dried tomato flakes, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little parsley. And of course- if you are not preparing this for the children- a little splash of white wine! Hic!

This turned out much better than even I had hoped- the bittersweet flavor of the radicchio, the rich beef stock, the re-hydrated, intense tomato flakes and Parmesan made a stunning combination! So simple and yet soooo good!

I began by gently frying the finely chopped Spring onion and green pepper in a little olive oil, until the white part of the onion became translucent.

I then added the rice, which was Vialone Nano in this case rather than Arborio (it just happened to be what I had at home!) and stirred it in, so that it too became lightly coated in oil .

Deglaze with white wine, or alternatively a little water, just to get the boiling process going and then begin adding your broth a little at a time.

and stir until it has been absorbed by the rice, then repeat. Do this for the first 20 minutes of cooking... and don't worry- you don't have to constantly stir-not at this point anyway.

After 20 minutes or so, add a couple of handfuls of the finely-shredded radicchio and carry on simmering, stirring and adding your broth as necessary for a further 10 minutes or so.

After 30 minutes, add the tomato flakes and plenty of Parmesan cheese and stir them in... and now things REALLY begin to come to life! Add the tomato flakes near the end so that the flavor remains strong and fresh and add the cheese to bind the remaining broth and to make the risotto creamy and smooth. 

I also added a little more olive oil right at the end before serving... usually it would be butter added, but I liked the flavor of olive much better with the radicchio and tomato.

Serve with a little pepper and a last sprinkle of tomato flakes, grated Parmesan and finely chopped parsley... and enjoy it whilst it's hot!

Different, delicious and definitely one to make again! Word!