Radicchio with kumquat, anchovy, and pomegranate
Radicchio makes for excellent salads – gorgeous colour, robust enough that it doesn’t collapse into a wimpy heap if you add heavier ingredients, and just enough bitterness to be interesting, without making your eyes water. There are many salads to make with it, but I love this one. To make a successful radicchio salad, you always need to balance the bitterness with salty, sweet, and acidity – and the combination of kumquat, anchovy, and balsamic does a very good job.
- 1 head of radicchio
- 2 – 3 kumquats
- 2 – 4 anchovy fillets
- 1/4 red onion
- Pomegranate seeds from half a pomegranate
- 2 – 4 teaspoons of olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- Roughly chop or break up the radicchio – so you have a good, but not unwieldy expanse of leaf.
- Very finely slice the onion and kumquats.
- Cut the anchovies into long thin strips.
- Deseed the pomegranate – do it over the radicchio so it catches the juice
- Put everything in the bowl apart from the anchovies, season well, add the oil and vinegar, and mix really well.
- Add the anchovies.
- To serve: scatter a few anchovies and slices of kumquats on top.
Diva notes.
Leftover Radicchio
Radicchio looks terrible the next day – as if it’s had far too much to drink and has a massive hangover – but it’s actually really delicious. So don’t throw away any left over; eat it for lunch the next day.
Anchovies
Always add the anchovy after you have seasoned – otherwise you will put salt on top of them. And even though they are salty, the salad still needs to be salted.