Our friends at the Culinary Breeding Network call the upper left coast the Veneto of North America because radicchio grows so well here. The purple-red chicory has been cultivated for hundreds of years in the temperate farmlands of northeastern Italy to provide salad greens during the winter. Visit a farmers market or well-stocked produce section in Oregon and Washington during the colder months and you’ll see delicate pink heads of Rosa del Veneto, red-speckled pale green leaves of Castelfranco, and the deep purple, squid-like tendrils of Rosso di Treviso Tardivo along with the more familiar bright red spheres of Rosso di Chioggia.
Any of them work in this salad. The mildly bitter flavor is balanced with sweet caramelized dates, crunchy slices of apple, tart preserved lemon, and creamy tahini. Pecan Parm, a mix of ground nuts and nutritional yeast, adds a parmigiano-like umami to the dressing.
The long-leafed Treviso Precoce looks like bright red Romaine lettuce and is often milder. If you can only get the round Chioggia variety, use this restaurant trick to temper its bitter flavor: cut the leaves and soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes.
Bring someone you love something delicious. Whether you’re shopping for a dedicated cook or an enthusiastic eater, we’ve got you covered.
If you haven’t heard, we’re now open everyday from 11am to 7pm, so you’ve got even more time to find the perfect gift. That said, we’ll be closing early on Christmas Eve and taking the 25th and 26th off. Holiday hours are as follows: 11am-3pm December 24th, closed December 25th and 26th.
