Balsamic-Marinated Radicchio with Fresh Ricotta

I will preface this by saying, I do not like Radicchio and was not jumping up and down to see it on our list for the week. It is too bitter for my taste. This recipe did a good job of cutting down the bitterness and it would have been even less if I had cooked the radicchio a bit longer.

½ cup balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, pressed
The juice of ½ fresh lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (use the best quality you can afford for this. The taste will be well worth it)
1 head radicchio
basil leaves
½ cup fresh ricotta
Kosher salt fresh black pepper

Cut the radicchio into 2 inch pieces. I had a small head of Radicchio to work with so I cut it vertically down the middle and vertically again on each half. Then I separated the leaves of each piece (leaving them in bunches of 3-4) so that I ended up with between 8-10 pieces total.
Lay the radicchio onto a 4 sided baking sheet and drizzle evenly with olive oil. Broil them in the oven approximately 6 inches from the top.
Keep a good eye on them. When the tips start to brown and the leaves begin to wilt they are done. This takes less than 5 minutes.

You have that 5 minutes, mix together your marinade. In a medium-large bowl (preferably one with a top although one that can be covered with a plate will work too) mix together the balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Remove radicchio from the oven and add it to the marinade. I only let it sit for 30 minutes and it was just fine. However, as with all marinades, longer can’t hurt and is usually better.

I mix the ricotta together with some fresh pepper and garlic powder. Fresh pressed garlic or lemon zest are great additions too.

To serve: I took 8 pieces of the fresh lettuce we got and laid them on 2 plates (4 on each). I placed 1 basil leaf on each, 1 section of the radicchio on top of that and topped it off with a teaspoon of the ricotta mixture. The flavors work really well if you roll it up in the lettuce and eat it that way. We had 4 medium sized shrimp on the side but it would have been just as satisfying without.

***This recipe gets an A+ for being simple (my #1 requirement for a Friday night dinner) and also for being at least half raw. If you don’t mind the bitterness, you can keep it all raw and not cook radicchio.