"R" is for Radicchio; Radicchio Risotto

This weekends vegetable is radicchio, a purple and white, leafy chicory. Most of what I read about it prior had me expecting something "bitter" and "spicy." I don't necessarily understand why that's how it is described because to me it tasted like most leafy veggies but with a more exciting taste and better flavor. That being said, I definitely plan on using radicchio in my salads from now on! Its not only tasty, but beautiful too!

The recipe I chose to make is a risotto. Last time I ditched the risotto recipe because I wanted to make something less fattening (which in the end, I'm not sure I accomplished...). However, I liked this recipe because it didn't involved heavy cream's and cheeses. Its ingredients were simple and generally low in fat -- but the dish is definitely filling! I got this recipe from Academia Barilla which I chose because some of the sites recipe's seemed authentically Italian, reminding me of my parents and my family in Connecticut. Also, the site tells you which region the dish originated in! Some of the measurements are missing but I've started to just eyeball everything anyway. The ingredients are as follows:

¾ lb Vialone nano rice

1 lb radicchio from Treviso

¾ oz white onion

vegetable broth

½ cup red wine

grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Academia Barilla 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt

1. Trim the radicchio and wash the leaves carefully.

2. Cut into thin slices and sauté in a pan with a little oil.

3. In a separate pot, sauté the onion in oil. Add the rice and toast.

4. Add the wine and wait for it to evaporate (about 5 minutes).

5. Add the vegetable stock, a ladleful at a time.

6. Stir constantly so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

7. In about 10 minutes, add the radicchio and finish cooking the rice.

8. At the end, stir in a good handful of Parmigiano Reggiano.

I don't like very many cheeses, but I do seem to like Italian cheeses. Other than mozzarella, I think I only like Italian hard cheeses and trust me...this cheese is almost impossible to cut! I kept eating samples to make sure I really liked it before I added it to the dish. My first helping, I shredded the Parmigiano reggiano over top of the risotto -- delicious. My second helping, I sprinkled some parmesan cheese over top...it was still good but something about the Parmigiano Reggiano set it apart. The dish itself is delicious. I forgot to add the salt which I think it would have benefited from, but overall I plan on making this dish again and perhaps adding additional veggies like eggplant or mushrooms.

Ratings

Taste: 4 out of 5

Level of Difficulty: Moderate