Chef Graziella
Insalata di Baccalà
The Christmas Eve salad of the Venetian and Neapolitan table, where salt cod, patient soaking, and a generous hand with olive oil create something that tastes nothing like the preserved fish you started with.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Insalata di Radicchio Tardivo di Treviso
Created by
The aristocrat of bitter lettuces, dressed simply to let its elegant burgundy leaves and complex flavor speak. From the fields outside Treviso to your winter table.
Salads
Italian, Venetian
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
20 min
Active Time
5 min cook•25 min total
Yield4 servings
Radicchio tardivo di Treviso is not ordinary radicchio. It is a different vegetable entirely, with long, curving leaves like crimson flames and a bitterness so refined it borders on sweetness. The farmers of the Veneto harvest it after the first frosts, then force it in spring water in the dark, a technique called imbianchimento that concentrates flavor and produces that characteristic white rib against deep red leaf.
This salad requires excellent ingredients and almost no technique. The apple provides sweetness and crunch that makes the bitterness more approachable. The walnuts add richness. The balsamic, if it is real and aged, brings complexity without acidity. What you keep out matters: no dried fruit, no honey, no goat cheese. The radicchio needs room to be itself.
If you cannot find true tardivo, do not substitute regular radicchio di Chioggia, the round heads found in supermarkets. They are different varieties with different flavors. Wait until you can find the real thing, or make a different salad.
Radicchio tardivo di Treviso earned its IGP protection in 1996, though the forcing technique dates to the 1860s when a Belgian agronomist introduced the method to Treviso. The practice transformed a field vegetable into a winter delicacy, with the best heads fetching prices comparable to fine truffles at the Rialto market.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
radicchio tardivo di Treviso
Quantity
2 heads (about 12 ounces total)
crisp apple
Quantity
1
quartered and cored
walnut halves
Quantity
1/2 cup
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons
aged balsamic vinegar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
flaky sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
2-ounce wedge
for shaving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| radicchio tardivo di Treviso | 2 heads (about 12 ounces total) |
| crisp applequartered and cored | 1 |
| walnut halves | 1/2 cup |
| extra virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| aged balsamic vinegar | 1 tablespoon |
| flaky sea salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofor shaving | 2-ounce wedge |
Equipment Needed
- •Salad spinner
- •Small dry skillet for toasting
- •Wide shallow serving bowl
- •Vegetable peeler for cheese shavings
Instructions
- 1
Toast the walnuts
Place the walnut halves in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan occasionally and watch them carefully. When they become fragrant and darken slightly at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes, remove them immediately to a plate. Walnuts go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Let them cool completely before using.
Toasting walnuts transforms them. Raw walnuts taste flat, slightly tannic. Toasted walnuts develop sweetness and depth that stands up to the bitterness of the radicchio. - 2
Prepare the radicchio
Trim the base of each radicchio head, removing any browned or damaged outer leaves. Separate the long, curving leaves and examine each one. Rinse gently in cold water and dry thoroughly in a salad spinner or with towels. Wet leaves dilute the dressing and create a soggy salad. Slice each leaf lengthwise into strips about half an inch wide. The elegant shape of tardivo is part of its beauty, so do not chop it into bits.
- 3
Slice the apple
Slice each apple quarter crosswise into thin crescents, no more than an eighth of an inch thick. Work quickly. If the apple will sit for more than a few minutes before serving, toss the slices with a teaspoon of lemon juice to prevent browning. This step is not optional. Brown apples ruin the visual balance of the salad.
- 4
Compose the salad
Place the radicchio strips in a wide, shallow bowl. Scatter the apple slices throughout. Break the cooled walnuts into rough pieces with your hands (uniform pieces look manufactured) and distribute them over the top.
- 5
Dress with restraint
Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the salad. Add the balsamic vinegar in a thin stream, aiming for the radicchio rather than the bowl. Season with flaky salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss gently with your hands or two large spoons, lifting from the bottom to coat everything without bruising the leaves.
The balsamic must be real aceto balsamico tradizionale from Modena or Reggio Emilia, aged at least 12 years. Supermarket balsamic is caramel-colored vinegar with no complexity. It will taste sharp where the real thing tastes sweet and layered. - 6
Finish and serve
Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin curls of Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top. Do not grate it. The shavings should be visible and substantial, adding salt and richness in distinct bites. Serve immediately. The radicchio begins to wilt within minutes of dressing.
Chef Tips
- •Seek radicchio tardivo at specialty grocers or Italian markets between November and February. The season is short. Outside this window, the product is either inferior or nonexistent.
- •True aged balsamic vinegar is thick enough to coat a spoon and sweet enough to eat alone. If yours pours like water, it is not the genuine article. Use less of the real thing than you think you need.
- •The salad must be dressed moments before serving. Acid wilts bitter greens quickly, and wilted tardivo loses its architectural beauty and textural contrast.
Advance Preparation
- •Walnuts can be toasted several hours ahead and stored at room temperature.
- •Radicchio can be washed, dried, and wrapped in towels in the refrigerator up to one day ahead. Slice just before serving.
- •Do not dress the salad until the moment you serve it. There is no making this ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 170g)
Calories
280 calories
Total Fat
23 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
10 mg
Sodium
385 mg
Total Carbohydrates
13 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
9 g
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