Radicchio or Italian chicory (Cichorium intybus) and is a perennial plant and it’s grown as a leaf vegetable which usually has white-veined red leaves. It has a slighly bitter and spicy taste, which mellows when it is grilled or roasted.In Italian cuisine, it is usually eaten grilled in olive oil, or mixed into dishes such as risotto. Beside Radicchio risotto, i like to served radicchio raw as a salad, usually with Grilled Angus Ribeye Beef Steak with Jerussalem Artichoke, Tofu and Tarragon Vinnaigrette
The bitter edge of radicchio is cooked off a bit in this risotto, but the primary flavor does involve the sophisticated slightly bitter flavor one expects in chicories, endives, and radicchio. The like to add some Danish blue cheese to the because the creamy and cheesey taste milder the bitter flavour. AYou can use any of theese for this recipe, and don’t forget to double the amount to get the same effect as the blue cheese. For making the quick and easy radicchio risotto, you should use arborio rice or any short grain rice because it cooked faster than medium or long grain rice. This is needed because you don’t wanna overcooked the radicchio.
For the protein, i’m using mantis shrimp or mantis prawn or Canocchie in Italian. I’ve ever made Deep Fried Mantis Shrimp with Salt and Pepper Crispy Butter Cereal or Oatmeal and Stir Fry Mantis Shrimp with Black Pepper Sauce Recipe, i’m better be using another ccoking technique for it with is simple grilling. The grilled mantis shrimp is marinated with salt and peper then drenched with some lime juice and olive oil. Instead of throwing away, the rest of the mantis shrimp shell and head i use for cooking the risotto, it’s made the risotto taste even better. Usually the mantis shrimp head and the head is add to the broth that using for making the risotto, but i’m not that kind of patient to reduce the broth for infused the mantis shrimp flavour.
Radicchio Rosotto Recipe:
- 1 medium size head radicchio, diced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cups aborio rice (any short grain rice)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 50 gr blue cheese (about 4 tbsp), or any kind of cheee
- salt and pepper to taste
Instruction:
- In a medium saucepan bring the broth to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- In another medium saucepan, heat up the butter and olive oil.
- Add the chopped onion and stirring occasionally, until tender, for about 3 minutes.
- Add the radicchio and and stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes.
- (Add the mantis shrimp shell to enhance the flavour if you like )
- Add the aborio rice and stir to combine thoroughly and to ensure that each grain of rice is coated with butter.
- Add the red wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed.
- Add 1 cup of the broth and cook, stirring, until liquid is absorbed.
- Repeat with a second cup of broth. After that batch is absorbed repeat with 1/2 cup amounts until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes total.
- Stir in the blue cheese and dont’s forget to discard the mantis shrimp shell
- Serve the risotto immediately with grilled mantis shrimp
Grilled Mantis Shrimp Recipe:
- 2 medium size mantis shrimp, cleaned, deshelled (Use the shell and the head for cooking the risotto)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and peper to taste
Instruction:
- Mix all the mantis shrimp with all the ingredients, let it marinade for about 5 minutes in the fridge
- Discard the liquid and pat dry, springkle with more olive oil and peppercorn if you like
- Grilled the mantis shrimp with medium heat until done.
- Serve it over the risotto