Radicchio and Blood Orange Salad

We’re in the thick of winter and the radicchio in the market garden is in full force. Radicchio is one of the most visually stunning vegetables we grow and is a part of the chicory family that, as a family, is notably renowned for its striking bitterness. This bitterness often has the effect of leaving many who haven’t been exposed to bitter foods before, with their noses scrunched up and tongue stuck out. That natural repulsion is a biological survival mechanism that tells our brains “don’t eat this” and allows us to avoid ingesting poisonous life threatening toxins. Yet, over time many cultures have developed an “acquired taste” for all things bitter and have come to realise that bitter foods possess incredible depth and flavour. Acquiring this palate not only opened up an avenue of culinary experimentation but also coincided with a multitude of nutritional benefits. See, the bitterness of particular plants is not only a signal for potential toxicity but also a sign of high antioxidant compounds within the plant that have been proven to be of great need in our diets. Bitter foods also aid in the secretion of digestive enzymes that get our digestive system churning and increase the uptake of nutrients and hence have been used by certain cultures to accompany harder to digest foods.

The consumption of bitter vegetables isn’t as common in modern times and has led to the preference for sweeter varieties and the loss of an essential food with many culinary and health benefits. The first key in incorporating bitter vegetables back into the diet is in balancing out the bitterness with sweetness, sourness and/or saltiness. This salad is the perfect starting point if you’ve never tried radicchio or have found it hard to swallow in the past as it combines a wonderful balance of flavours and textures; from the bitterness of the radicchio, sweetness of the blood orange, acidity of the vinaigrette, creaminess of the goat's cheese and the crunch of the crouton. You could take the basics of this salad and recreate it with your own flare in a multitude of different ways, for example; radicchio with maple roasted walnuts and crumbled blue roquefort cheese, or radicchio with pear and shaved parmesan. Once the bitterness is balanced this will quickly become a house favourite.