Seared Radicchio & Green Lentils
Radicchio is one of my very favourite things ! It’s such a brilliant and impossible-to-find vegetable. It’s basically a red heart-forming variety of chicory, from Italy. It's bitter - but in a really good way. Removing the outer leaves reveals a neon pink heart, and the leaves get less bitter the further in you get. It can be eaten raw, but this delicious recipe from Claire is a real winner! The cooking process mellows out the bitterness, and the lentils, lashings of butter and parmesan make it a great Winter warmer. We had it for volunteer lunch and served with roasted carrots, and a wedge of Bakari Bakery sourdough to mop up all the juices. Absolute heaven!
Serves 4 as a main course
2 radicchio
250g cooked green lentils
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 preserved lemon
4 sprigs of thyme
50g softened butter
1 bunch rainbow chard
30g grated parmesan
1. Start by separating the colourful chard stalks from their leafy tops, and set aside the leaves.
2. Thinly slice the chard stalks and soften in a medium size pan with a good glug of olive oil.
3. Shred one radicchio and add to the pan to soften up with the chard stalks.
4. Meanwhile, put a frying pan on medium / high heat.
5. Take the second radicchio and cut into wedges (I like my wedges quite thin.)
6. Carefully, add the wedges to the frying pan and colour on all three sides.
7. Toss in around two thirds of the butter and the sprigs of thyme. Turn the heat down to low and baste the radicchio.
8. Back to the chard and shredded radicchio. Increase the heat to medium, add the fennel seeds and stir. Cook out for 4 - 5 mins.
9. While this cooks, finely chop the preserved lemon, and shred the chard leaves.
10. Check the radicchio wedges are cooking evenly, and turn occasionally spooning over the thyme butter.
11. When you can smell the distinctive aroma of the fennel seeds its time to add the lentils, chard leaves and preserved lemon. Give everything it a good stir to combine.
12. Once the lentils are hot, toss in the grated parmesan and the rest of the butter. Stir until everything is coated with a lovely buttery shine.
13. Spoon the mixture out, and top with buttery wilted radicchio wedges, and enjoy.
