Radicchio w/guanciale and rosemary (Mario Batali)

LTH,

As I'm currently reading Heat I thought it time to peruse Mario Batali's Molto Italinano, which my wife gave me for the holidays. Any number of tasty sounding recipes, but Radicchio w/guanciale and rosemary jumped out. As it happens I have a small chunk of guanciale, but decided not to use it on an unproven recipe (just in case), no worries, recipe was terrific.

Recipe is simple, saute guanciale, in this case pancetta, cook down radicchio, add rosemary, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. The taste was outstanding, eliciting a hearty "lets have it again soon" from my wife. I also made a catch-as-can Puttanesca, no real recipe, just a loose idea I wanted something with a little heat and anchovy.




Larger pan for pasta, smaller radicchio




Radicchio w/guanciale and rosemary from Mario Batali (I used pancetta)


Puttanesca catch-as-can recipe




Enjoy,
Gary

Your dinner looks stupendous with that bottle of Montepulciano -- can just about imagine how it tastes. Often, I eat the radicchio raw, but recently fried some up with just olive oil and found it fabulously bitter and sweet, fresh and rich. Wonder if one could grow that leaf in a Midwestern garden...

David Hammond wrote:Often, I eat the radicchio raw, but recently fried some up with just olive oil and found it fabulously bitter and sweet, fresh and rich.

Hammond,

Sauteing Radicchio with pancetta over fairly high heat brought out, as you note, a backnote of sweetness providing counterpoint to bitter, white wine vinegar deglazed loosened/incorporated the bits of pan goodness (fond) and embellished flavor.

I picked up the Montepulciano for $13.99 at Minelli Bros, which as mentioned in this post has a small, but well priced, wine selection.

For some odd reason I've been thinking of your Eggs in Purgatory, think I'll make them for breakfast this weekend.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:For some odd reason I've been thinking of your Eggs in Purgatory, think I'll make them for breakfast this weekend.

Last Xmas morning, for a variation on our traditional EinP, I threw in the sauce some crispy crumbles of Italian sausage, which are somewhat analagous to the souls screaming for salvation in cleansing fires -- at least that's the analogy I used with my kids. The sausage adds some additional taste/visual interest to the sauce -- that's the way I'm making it from now on.