Radicchio and Roquette Salad

Colorful and bright roquette (arugula) and radicchio salad is a perfect addition to everyday meals or dinner celebrations. This salad is a great way to start you lunch or dinner!

Grocery list Radicchio and Roquette Salad 

• Arugula
• Radicchio
• Lemons
• Pine nuts
• Honey

Time Required:

5 minutes

Salad Base greens

Radicchio is a leafy vegetable variety of the chicory family that was cultivated in Italy. Chicory is a wild perennial found all over the Mediterranean and was one of the most used  medicinal and nutritional herbs. It grows in abundance everywhere, however cultivated and pampered radicchios are considered  very temperamental and an unstable garden vegetables. Special soil, climate, and moisture conditions are required for the radicchio to form a large head. The newer varieties and spatial farms nowadays have successfully produced radicchio. Thanks to modern farmers and avid gardeners, this bright burgundy head with white veins, is available in supermarkets and sometimes wrongfully considered red cabbage.

Be sure to look for a nice variegated crimson and white head of radicchio with no brownish soft spots on the leaves and with a firm core.

Cut the head vertically, remove the core with a paring knife, and chiffonade the leaves. Wash them well and let them stand in cold water for a few minutes to ensure that any debris. 

Roquette or rocket is another cultivated leafy vegetable that also grows in the wild. It is also referred to as rucala or arugula. The four petal flower, that resembles a cross, brings the cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and roquette together – making them all distant cousins of the cruciferous family. As diverse as they are, they all have enormous health benefits.

Pungent, peppery, and spicy leafy greens are widely available now in supermarkets and grocery stores. It is easy store and keeps longer in the fridge. 

Salad toppings

Pine nuts: Pine nuts are from the pine cone of a particular pine tree that grows in different parts of the world. It has very delicate texture and sweet, creamy taste.

Pine nuts can be pricey, but a little goes a long way. 

Salad Dressing

For this salad, I use a classic lemon and oil dressing with a hint of honey. The small amount of honey complements nicely with the bitterness of radicchio and peppery spiciness of roquette.

Tips and wisdom

• Washing the salad greens: An important steps for making a crisp and flavorful salad. After washing the salad, I cover the greens with water, add a cup of vinegar, and sit for 5 minutes. The vinegar solution washes off the commercial chemicals and acts as a natural sanitizer. Afterwards, I drain and spin the greens in a salad spinner and leave to air dry.
• Storing the salad greens: To store, I use cotton towel or coffee filter to wrap the greens and store in an airtight container for future use.
• Bitterness: Radicchio tend to be bitter; if you dislike the bitterness submerge the chopped leaves in an ice water bath and leave for a couple of minutes. 
• Applying dressing: Add the dressing right before serving.
• In order to prevent the pine nuts from sinking into the bottom, scatter them on top of the salad after you dress and toss is.