BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE
February 2024
Radicchio is the perfect lettuce for a warm vinaigrette. It’s hearty, stands up to heat, and any amount of cooking will soften its bitterness. Here, it’s paired with roasted and caramelized fennel and pancetta, and acidic but sweet balsamic. The salad is finished with heaps of creamy crumbled goat cheese and a handful of herbaceous fennel fronds. I think you’ll agree that this is the ideal winter salad.
Pancetta is made from the same cut of pork that bacon is made from, and it’s seasoned generously with black pepper and spices. Because it’s cured and not smoked, it tastes more like prosciutto than bacon.
Core and slice the fennel bulb and tear the radicchio leaves into large pieces. Fennel may not often find itself on your grocery list, and this is a good way to give it a try if you're not familiar. Fennel has an anise flavor and it's delicious and crunchy raw, and it sweetens as you roast it. The radicchio, which is a notoriously bitter leafy chicory, will welcome the sweetness of the fennel when they're tossed together.
Coat the fennel with olive oil ad salt to taste. Roast the fennel in a single layer on a sheet pan in an oven set at 425°. Turn the fennel over once during cooking. After about fifteen minutes, the slices should be tender and caramelized around the edges.
Make the vinaigrette by whisking the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. You’ll notice that we’re not adding any garlic. That’s because the renderings from the pancetta will factor into the dressing, which will lend all of the flavor from its curing spices to the final dish. The dressing may also taste just a little acidic at this stage, but the fat from the pancetta will help to balance out the vinegar ratio.
Start rendering the pancetta in a cold pan. The pancetta will begin to slowly render and then crisp in its own drippings.
The radicchio, which is a notoriously bitter leafy chicory, will welcome the sweetness of the fennel when they're tossed together.
When the pancetta is just crisp around the edges, turn off the heat and add the fennel and radicchio. The radicchio will begin to wilt in the residual heat of the pan. Pour in the vinaigrette and toss, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, top radicchio and fennel salad with crumbled goat cheese and garnish with any remaining fronds from the fennel stalks.
Radicchio and fennel salad with warm pancetta vinaigrette
Season: Autumn, Winter
Serves: 4
ingredients
2 small heads of radicchio
1 fennel bulb
½ cup olive oil, plus more for roasting
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grainy mustard
4 oz pancetta
4 oz goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Core and slice the fennel bulb. Coat generously with olive oil and season with salt. Roast in an even layer on a baking sheet in a 425° oven for 15 minutes, turning the fennel over once during cooking.
Core the radicchio heads and tear the leaves into large pieces.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the pancetta to a cold saute pan with a teaspoon of olive oil. Set the heat to medium and allow the pancetta to slowly render. Once the pancetta is crisp, turn off the heat and add the radicchio. Toss with the pancetta until it begins to wilt, about two to three minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. Toss in the roasted fennel, pancetta and balsamic vinaigrette.
Remove to a platter and top with crumbled goat cheese and the fronds of the fennel bulb for garnish.
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