radicchio, apple, and gorgonzola pizza
Radicchio is bitter. SO bitter. And John and I do ok with bitter (black coffee, the hoppiest IPAs imaginable, bitter melon when it’s drowned in some kind of spicy garlicky sauce). But this Treviso radicchio from our CSA was too much. I tried marinating and broiling it with vinegar and garlic, which smelled fantastic but was un-swallowable.
I consulted Chowhound (one of the best resources out there for my cooking woes) and found out that soaking the leaves in ice water for at least 30 minutes subdues much of the bitterness. Someone also suggested “throwing other strong flavors at it: blue cheese, apples, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette.” A lovely idea for a pizza. Next time, I’m thinkin’ smoked mozzarella or olives. But I’ll probably just make this pizza again.
Order of layers: pizza dough, mozzarella, thinly sliced apples, ribbons of radicchio (I used a very conservative amount, but next time there will be more), gorgonzola cheese. Bake at 500 degrees for around 20 minutes, or until it looks done (because we all know what pizza is supposed to look like). Top with toasted walnuts (or just add un-toasted walnuts during the last couple minutes of baking).
