RADICCHIO WITH FETA, PISTACHIOS AND SALTED HONEY
Hi friends! Happy December. I’m about to shower you with a half-dozen new cookie recipes in the next two weeks, so how about a palate cleanser before we begin?
This year, we spent thanksgiving with dear friends who hail from California and Spain, and our menu was tapas style—croquettas and Spanish tortilla, Jamón and Manchego, along with pickled mushrooms, homemade focaccia, confited turkey and many shaved salads (like this one). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, shaved bitter salads are the unsung hero of holidays meals, so I’m sharing another with you, from Food52’s latest book, Big Little Recipes, by Emma Laperruque.
The genius of this salad is in its simplicity—radicchio, feta, pistachios and honey, plus a little oil and salt—just five (yes five!!) ingredients. In short: EASY. There’s always time to make this salad, even amidst the business (and busy-ness) of holidays. The double genius of this one is that it goes with absolutely anything; whether you’re serving turkey (again), or ham, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or a lovely prime rib—this salad’s bracing bittersweet edge will wet appetites, aid digestion and keep the table lively. Enjoy!
RADICCHIO WITH FETA, PISTACHIOS AND SALTED HONEY
Reprinted with permission from Food52 Big Little Recipes by Emma Laperruque*
SERVES 2 TO 4
2 small heads radicchio
4 ounces (115g) feta, crumbled, brine reserved
½ cup (70g) shelled raw pistachios, roughly chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Honey
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Halve the radicchio heads, remove and discard the cores, then roughly chop. Combine 1 to 1 ½ cups feta brine (depending on how much is in the container), 1 ½ cups cold water, and 2 cups ice cubes in a large bowl. Stir until the brine is super cold,then strain out the ice cubes. Add the radicchio, toss to coat, and weigh down with a small plate to submerge. Soak for about 15 minutes, stirring every so often. By the end, the radicchio should be slightly feta-y and noticeably less bitter.
While that’s going, add the pistachios to a skillet (I like cast-iron here) and set over medium-low heat. Toast, shaking every so often and lowering the heat if they’re browning too quickly, until the nuts are very fragrant, 8 to 12 minutes. Keep a watchful eye since burnt nuts are bad nuts. Pour onto a plate to cool.
Add 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons honey, and the salt to a tiny bowl and stir with a fork until mostly combined.When the radicchio is ready to get out of its bath, use tongs to transfer it to a salad spinner and dry well. (If it’s wet, the dressing will have trouble grabbing hold.)
Dump the dried radicchio into a bowl, pour the honey dressing on top, and toss until evenly coated. Transfer to a platter or individual plates, then top with the crumbled feta and toasted pistachios. Finish with a squiggle each of oil and honey.
* Images belong to Food52, and should not be pinned or posted without attribution. Recipe copyright (c) 2021by Food52 Inc.Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Photographs copyright © James Ransom