Vibrant Summer Salad
The trio of grilled radicchio (I prefer the long-leaf varietal for this recipe), goat cheese and tomato is about as essential as it gets, focusing heavily on sour-salty-bitter-sweet. Paired with crusty bread it stands on its own, thanks to the cheese pairing, but it’s also killer with something off the grill as part of a meal. I serve lamb chops or grilled chicken right on top of this all the time.
Grilled Radicchio with Goat Cheese and Herbed Tomato Dressing
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 lemon, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Salad
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 large heads of radicchio, quartered through the core
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped marjoram or oregano
- 4 ounces crumbled fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
Instructions
Make the Dressing
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes just start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon quarters, tarragon, parsley, vinegar and the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are very soft and the dressing is saucy, about 15 minutes. Discard the lemon quarters. Season with salt and pepper and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, Prepare the Salad
In a large ceramic baking dish, whisk the lemon juice with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the quartered radicchio and turn to coat; let stand for 15 minutes.
Preheat a grill pan and the broiler. Season the radicchio with salt and pepper and grill over high heat, turning, until lightly charred and just starting to wilt, about 3 minutes. Return the radicchio to the baking dish and sprinkle the marjoram and goat cheese on top. Broil 8 inches from the heat until the goat cheese is just softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the radicchio to a platter. Spoon some of the dressing on top and serve, passing the rest of the dressing at the table.
Originally published on Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures on foodandwine.com.
Photograph by Stephanie Meyer.
