I was on holiday on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria a few years ago, said Jesse Jenkins, when I was tasked with making lunch for a group of friends, most of whom were fantastic cooks. I had forgotten to add the radicchio to an already dressed salad, so I quickly grilled it in a ripping-hot pan and made a sauce by blending a whole jar of capers and a tin of anchovies. It ended up getting a lot of appreciation and became one of my favourite things to eat. The lesson is: sometimes stress-cooking pays off.
Ingredients (serves four as a side)
- 100g tin anchovy fillets in oil
- 30g capers, drained
- 1 lemon, halved
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to coat the radicchio
- 1 head purple radicchio
- salt and pepper
- handful of parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
Method
- First, make the sauce. Put the anchovies and their oil, capers, the juice of half a lemon, and the olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a little water to loosen it.
- Trim the radicchio stem, keeping the core intact, and remove any beaten- up outer leaves. Cut the radicchio into four pieces, then put it in a bowl with some olive oil to coat, add a good pinch of salt and mix well.
- Get a griddle pan or frying pan smoking hot over a high heat, then add the radicchio, cut side down, pressing it down firmly with your hand.
- Cook for 2 minutes, or until the radicchio is deeply charred.
- Turn the pieces and char them on the other cut side, then transfer to a plate. Squeeze the other half lemon over them while they steam.
- You can put the sauce on the plate with the radicchio on top or spoon it over the radicchio. Finish with the chopped parsley and a little fresh cracked black pepper.
Taken from Cooking with Vegetables by Jesse Jenkins, published by Bluebird at £28.
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