Radicchio Salad With Chopped-Lemon Dressing Recipe

In the middle of winter, when you're craving a crisp, crunchy salad but the salad greens in the store look pale and limp, don’t despair. The best winter salad uses an ingredient you might have overlooked—radicchio. Here, the bitter-tasting, dark red vegetable is torn into bite-size pieces and tossed with a lively dressing made with a chopped whole lemon, whole-grain mustard, a tiny bit of sugar, plenty of fresh mint leaves, and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.

This salad makes a refreshing change and will perk up your palate after all those soups and stews. It's also the best-looking salad around, easy enough for an any night meal but special enough for a dinner party.

What Is Radicchio?

Radicchio is a type of chicory and is closely related to endive. There are many types of radicchio available in Italy, often named for the area they are grown in. In the U.S., you may find more unusual radicchios at farmers' markets or get seeds to grow them yourself. Chioggia, or Radicchio Rosso di Chioggia, is the best-known variety, and is what you'll typically find in grocery stores. It is round with tightly wrapped leaves and looks a little like a small head of cabbage. Most noticeably, it is a dramatic deep dark red. Available more often in Italian markets or gourmet stores is another type of radicchio, the Treviso. It has an elongated shape and a milder flavor than Chioggia, but could be used in this salad.

How to Balance the Bitter

Radicchio has a bold, bitter flavor. It is bitter in a good way, like broccoli rabe. It needs ingredients that can match its boldness, like the vinaigrette made with a whole chopped lemon  and mustard, and good olive oil we use in this salad. Other ways to balance the power of radicchio include:

• Fats like bacon or pancetta
• Rich, strongly flavored ingredients like blue cheese or goat cheese
• Nuts such as hazelnuts