🇮🇹 Italian · Risotto
🍚 Risotto al Radicchio di Treviso
Risotto al Radicchio
A striking magenta-tinted risotto built on Treviso's prized bitter red chicory, its pleasant bitterness balanced by butter, Parmigiano, and a splash of red wine.
Radicchio di Treviso is a specifically prized variety of chicory from the Veneto, its elegant elongated leaves and pleasantly bitter edge softening as it cooks into the risotto, staining the rice a beautiful deep red.
Ingredients
Equipment: Wide, heavy-bottomed pan, Ladle
- 320 g (1½ cups) Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice
- 2 heads Treviso radicchio, sliced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1.2 L (5 cups) hot vegetable or chicken stock
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) dry red wine
- 80 g (⅓ cup) unsalted butter, divided
- 60 g (¾ cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Keep the stock warm in a saucepan over low heat throughout cooking.
- Melt half the butter with the olive oil in a wide pan and sauté the onion until soft.
- Add most of the sliced radicchio, reserving a little for garnish, and cook for a few minutes until wilted.
- Add the rice and toast, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed.
- Begin adding the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring frequently, for about 18 minutes until the rice is creamy with a slight bite.
- Remove from the heat and beat in the remaining butter and Parmigiano vigorously.
- Fold in the reserved raw radicchio for a fresh, slightly crunchy finish, and serve immediately.
Chef Tips
- Reserving a little raw radicchio to fold in at the end adds welcome texture and fresh bitterness against the creamy rice.
- The wine's acidity helps balance radicchio's natural bitterness -- don't skip it.
- The final vigorous beating in of butter and cheese (mantecatura) is what gives good risotto its glossy, wave-like consistency.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding all the radicchio at the start, losing the fresh, slightly crunchy contrast a final raw addition provides.
- Adding the stock all at once instead of gradually, preventing the rice from releasing its starch properly.
- Overcooking the rice until it loses all bite.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Radicchio provides fiber and antioxidant compounds.
Cultural Note
Radicchio di Treviso is a prized, protected vegetable of the Veneto, and this risotto is one of the most celebrated ways the region showcases its distinctive bitter flavor.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Best eaten immediately; risotto does not hold or reheat particularly well.
Reheating: Reheat gently with a splash of stock, stirring constantly.
Serve with: A dry red wine from Veneto