Sam: Whoever decided that September, October, November, and December should not be the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months of the year should be stabbed!
Me: Have I got news for you.
March was once thought a bitter month. Julius Cesar aside, it was the month when the Northern Hemisphere straddled the soles of Old Man Winters’ shoes while longingly sniffing the promising perfume of Lady Spring. The ground was hopeful but not forthcoming with nutritious things to eat.
As the seasons’ turned into one another, there were bumps in the road called Abundance. Summer’s and Autumn’s high harvest times beget mad episodes of canning, preserving, and curing that, if the kitchen gods smiled, lasted until the tenderest of spring greens could be greedily foraged. However, sometimes Boreas* exhaled one last sigh, and The Starving or Bitter Month of March blew in carrying a scythe.
I mention this because, good lord, we are so lucky to have so much food readily available to us. Everything and anything can be found on the grocery shelves. On Sunday, I traveled to an Asian market and squealed when I saw a bag of lychees. I love lychees, and all the customers turned and stared when I pipped with delight upon finding them. That they were flown in from South Africa didn’t stop me from buying a bag. Will I do it again? Well——not anytime soon because buying local is better all the way around, if and when you can. Did I relish every bite? Absolutely!
As another Ides of March trudges toward us, here’s a very Italian recipe for bitter radicchio softened by smokey grilling, salty Jamón, and a sweetly fiery drizzle of honey spiced with chili crisp. It’s very simple to make and enticing enough to distract Itztlacoluihqui* and maybe convince him to calm the f*** down.
*Cultures personified winter, and these are just a few of those names. If you are interested, here’s a more comprehensive list.
GRILLED RADICCHIO and JAMÓN with a CHILI CRISP and FIERY HONEY DRIZZLE
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon+ chili crisp
2 Tablespoons spicy honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 radicchio head, washed and browned outer leaves removed, but keep the core intact. When you quarter it, the core helps keep the radicchio intact.
salt and pepper
4 Jamón slices
METHOD
In a small pan, combine the chili crisp and honey.
Gently warm them, and keep the drizzle warm until the radicchio is cooked.
Either set up your grill outside or use the grill pan in a scorching oven.
Toss the radicchio in the olive oil with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Grill the radicchio to brown the outer leaves and soften it a bit.
Set the wilted radicchio into a bowl or onto a plate.
Arrange the Jamón around the radicchio and drizzle the chili crisp and fiery honey around it.
Eat immediately.
Mm! I recall my mother braising Chicory/endive of the normal type.... no red...but radicchio was unknown back then and she'd never think of grilling it. I love that bitterness.
Chicory is quite easy to grow so I wonder if radicchio would be easy as well.
I bet that you can actually make your own Chili Crisp.....
Oh my goodness. Such simple recipes are always the best, don't you think? I'm going to look around the Asian grocery stores for the chili crisp. There must surely be variations on the theme. I'm not a fan of honey so no way in hell would I buy one just coz it's spicy. I'll swirl a pepper of some kind in the mix (like I do for jellies) as it heats up. Definitely wanna try this one.