A new book celebrates radicchio, a cold-season stunner

Like most children, Lane Selman didn’t like the bitter bite of radicchio growing up. “I’m from Florida originally, and it’s not popular in Florida at all,” she says. “My mother ate a lot of radicchio, with cranberries and walnuts, but I was always like ‘What is this thing?’ I didn’t eat it.”

Today Selman, an assistant professor in the department of horticulture at Oregon State University and director of the Culinary Breeding Network, is a bonafide radicchio cheerleader. Part of her work includes identifying ideal varieties of vegetables for the region, including radicchio, and as cofounder of Sagra del Radicchio, an annual radicchio festival, Selman is often found praising the oft-overlooked winter vegetable. “It brings joy to my life: to make salads with it and bring color into this time when it’s kind of dreary. Even looking in my garden, I have several rows of the pink radicchio and it’s beautiful,” she says.

Selman has also written a book on the bitter stuff, “Radicchio: A Celebration of the Beloved Italian Vegetable.” As fascinating as it is sumptuously photographed, “Radicchio” is equal parts cookbook and comprehensive reference (it covers everything from the medicinal history of the greens and guidance for beginning growers to profiles of the 12+ various types). Readers will come away with an appreciation for the myriad ways this vegetable has been cultivated, cooked and otherwise put to use over the centuries.

One of radicchio’s many qualities is its beauty: “It is visually arresting in a way potatoes and carrots simply aren’t,” write Selman and her coauthor, Margarett Waterbury. “And — perhaps most critically — radicchio has a long harvest window and can last for weeks in cold storage, which means it can easily fit into winter work schedules contorted around bad weather, muddy fields and small off-season work crews.” 

This makes it something of an anomaly. For many farmers in colder climates, winter farming either means hardy crops that can withstand the cold, such as kale and other brassicas, or greenhouse growing, which can be resource-intensive and is used to grow ingredients out of season. And many shoppers, even farmers market regulars, retreat to the convenience of grocery store produce when the cold weather hits. “As soon as it starts raining, and there’s just a lot of roots at the market, [shoppers] kind of don’t go to the market anymore,” says Selman. “They go to the grocery store and back to buying whatever lettuce and cucumbers that are out of season and brought in from somewhere else.”

A key reason Selman devotes her energy to promoting radicchio, in her research at Oregon State and through grant-funded projects like the Eat Winter Vegetables campaign and Chicory Week, is its seasonality. “My whole goal is supporting farmers to be able to grow and sell things all year round,” she says. “We promote these vegetables because we want people to be more excited about winter vegetables.”

Unlike greenhouse-grown lettuces or vegetables that are shipped from around the world to the grocery stores, radicchio can be grown, with very few inputs, in the cool climates of the Northeast and Pacific Northwest from September through March. As Jason Salvo, who runs Washington’s Local Roots Farm and cofounded Chicory Week, told Heated, “If people can get a radicchio salad, a local salad in January … we’re not trucking up romaine from the Imperial Valley, we’re keeping our dollars local, so we’re building our local economy.” If you’re in cooler regions where radicchio thrives, choosing it over lettuces during the winter is choosing local, supporting small farmers and promoting seasonal eating.

For the general American palate, which typically prefers more mild tastes, radicchio isn’t necessarily an appealing flavor. A member of the chicory family (which also includes frisee, Belgian endive and dandelion greens), it’s most often described as bitter. And only a few varieties of radicchio are typically seen in U.S. grocery stores, the most common being the red, ball-shaped Chioggia, which has crunchy, bitter leaves that are often confused for cabbage.

Selman, Salvo and others are working to educate consumers about the many other varieties of radicchio with Chicory Week and other events. More inviting and less bitter varieties include the light pink Rosa del Veneto, the green and purple speckled Castelfranco radicchio, and the Treviso Tardivo radicchio, with its squid-like leaves. “I think the really cool Italian heirloom-y varietals [of chicories] are the most fun, because they’re pretty. We don’t see them very often,” says Jenn Louis, a Portland-based chef and author of “The Book of Greens,” among other titles. “And they are really cool. Some are speckled green and white, some are dark red.” And while these niche varieties might be less common in U.S. grocery stores, they are becoming more popular among small farmers and are showing up at farmers markets in cooler regions.

Bringing Italian technique and knowledge to the U.S.

If there are such beautiful and delicious varieties of radicchio, then why is Chioggia, a bitter variety that hasn’t exactly won radicchio a huge following, the one most often available in the United States? You might think one could simply pick up seeds for other radicchio varieties from the local garden store and grow your own. Radicchio, however, is native to the Veneto region of Italy  — Pliny the Elder mentions it in his book “Naturalis Historia,” published in AD 77 — and up until recently most of the cool weather crop sold in the U.S. was either Chioggia grown in California or other varieties exported from Italy. Purchasing seeds, unless at a very large quantity, was not possible, and information about seeding, harvesting and storage was sparse and rarely in English.

As farms like California’s J Marchini Farms began growing radicchio in the 1980s, the chicory became known as the pop of color in bagged salad mixes. Salvo’s Local Roots Farm and Pennsylvania’s Campo Rosso are among the handful that began growing more unique varieties in the past decade. The vegetable is notoriously difficult to grow; some varieties, like Treviso Tardivo, are grown in the dark to delay maturing, others depend on getting the planting and harvest dates just right. “All the people that really understand how to grow radicchio well have gone to Italy … to visit farms and they get information that way. We would like to bring that information here for farmers to understand [how to grow radicchio better],” says Selman.

Radicchio’s rise 

As these unique varieties become more readily available, more and more people are taking note of radicchio’s flair. The vegetable’s growing popularity has attracted national attention, landing it on the cover of Bon Appétit in February 2021 and in a story later that same year, as well as appearing in The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine and, most recently, Vogue. The enthusiasm even inspired a Portland Monthly article titled, “Are You Ready to Join This Pacific Northwest Vegetable Cult?”, highlighting Selman’s role in building a passionate community around the once-overlooked vegetable. The hashtag #radicchio has been used on Instagram more than 217,000 times, where the pretty pink leaves of the Rosa variety often pose like models. Along with the Sagra del Radicchio and Chicory Week, other cities have started radicchio festivals, including Vancouver’s Radicchio Festival.

As food writer Leah Koenig wrote in Taste in 2019, part of the uptick in radicchio interest stemmed from the broadening American palate. “Radicchio’s rise happens to synchronize perfectly with a moment when American consumers are slowly coming around to more challenging flavors — flavors with funky, sour, and spicy profiles,” Koenig wrote. “That openness now extends to the bitter flavors that we taste in things like hoppy IPAs, intensely dark chocolate, turmeric, and tahini.” The Whole Foods trend predictions for 2027 indicates a continued interest in the flavor, noting that “bitter ingredients are showing up on restaurant menus and in packaged goods and beverages” and that “grocers are also offering more bitter greens, like radicchio, endive, escarole, broccoli rabe and dandelion greens.” 

The farmers dedicated to growing and promoting radicchio have also seen an uptick in the market. Local Roots Farm in Washington saw radicchio sales double during the early years of Selman’s efforts to develop a regional market. “Only carrots and lettuce exceed radicchio in terms of total dollars per year,” farmer Jason Salvo wrote on the Chicory Week website at the time. Since then, demand has continued to grow. Organically Grown Company (OGC), one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest organic produce distributors, reported that its radicchio sales doubled between 2019 and 2024, with total volume reaching five times its 2017 level. OGC’s radicchio volume doubled again from 2024 to 2025, demonstrating how this once-obscure vegetable has developed into an increasingly important commercial crop for regional farmers.

Developing a taste for radicchio

Although some consumers are becoming hip to radicchio’s flavors, thanks to the work of ambassadors like Selman and farmers like Salvo, the vegetable still remains a bitter conundrum for many. “We also really need to educate them about how to prepare it, because people are not that excited about the challenge with the different flavors, right?” says Selman. “I mean they’re earthy, they’re bitter, they are not sweet and bright like the things that you eat other times of the year.”

If you’re just trying it, Louis has a few suggestions for tamping down the bitter flavor. First off, when using radicchio leaves raw, she suggests soaking them in ice water for at least 30 minutes, which will help crisp up the leaves, and also lessen some of the bitterness. (Make sure to spin it in a salad spinner before using to remove some of the water.)

From there, it’s all about balance. “Try using something that may be a little fatty and creamy,” she says. “So think about a Caesar salad, because you have that rich, kind of fatty dressing to kind of calm down some of the bitterness of the radicchio.” It’s also common to pair raw radicchio with citrus, nuts and good aged balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

As for cooking, some of the longer leaves of radicchio, such as Treviso, with its dense, football-shaped head, can be grilled. “You can use them almost like a grilled romaine, that’s pretty fun,” says Louis. And even in cooking, thinking about balance is a good idea with radicchio. In her “Book of Greens” cookbook, Louis combines the rich creamy flavor of crème fraîche and Parmigiano with radicchio as a stuffing for her salt-roasted potatoes.

But with radicchio, it’s really about embracing the bitter, at least to some extent. “It’s always gonna be a little bitter,” says Selman. “One of the farmers I work with here, he’s been selecting for so long to have the littlest amount of bitterness that I don’t actually like it. It doesn’t taste the way it’s supposed to taste, because I like a little bit of that sharp bitterness.”

Recipe: Insalata Nostrana

Cathy Whims, Nostrana, Portland, OR; “Radicchio”
Yield: Serves 6-8

Radicchio Caesar salads are now obligatory on the menus of farm-to-table restaurants around the world, along with natural wines and borosilicate glassware. But before all those plates of Castelfranco and Cara Cara orange wedges or Treviso Precoce and pecans, there was the Insalata Nostrana.

Cathy Whims founded Nostrana in 2005, and this deceptively simple, astonishingly delicious salad has been on the menu since the beginning. “I’m sure there are customers who haven’t had it, but what I hear most often, and what I heard right off the bat, was ‘Oh my god, I hate radicchio, but this is delicious!’” says Cathy.

There are a few keys to making the Insalata Nostrana work. First, soaking the radicchio in ice water for a couple of hours tempers the leaves’ inherent bitterness and coaxes out their sweetness. Second, the dressing is packed with bold flavors like anchovy and garlic. And third, the sweetness of the Parmigiano-Reggiano provides a beautiful counterpoint to the other flavor notes. Serve this salad alongside roast chicken or pizza. The strong, garlicky dressing pairs beautifully with full-bodied white wines such as Ramato-style pinot grigio from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, which usually sees several days of skin contact.

Ingredients

2 large heads radicchio, such as Chioggia, Rosso di Verona, or Treviso Precoce, or a mix with a Variegato type (Castelfranco or Lusia) for a more colorful salad
3 cups cubed focaccia or crusty country bread
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon (optional)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1.5 ounces)

Method

1. Tear the radicchio into 1 1/2-inch pieces and soak in ice-cold water for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
3. Spread the focaccia or bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sage and rosemary and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant but not browned. Turn off the heat, add the toasted bread cubes to the butter-herb mixture, and toss well. Let the croutons cool.
4. Next, make the dressing. Add the garlic, anchovies, vinegar, wine, mayonnaise, and egg yolks to a food processor. Pulse to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and process until emulsified. Alternatively, pound the garlic and anchovies using a mortar and pestle. Transfer the paste to a large bowl set on a folded dish towel. Add the vinegar, wine, mayonnaise, and egg yolks and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking vigorously and continuously. At first, add just a few drops at a time, slowly progressing to a very slow, fine stream to preserve the emulsion. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
5. When you’re ready to serve the salad, drain the radicchio and dry well in a salad spinner. Place the leaves in a large salad bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Add lemon juice to taste, if desired, to brighten the salad. Top with the croutons and a generous shower of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Taken from Radicchio © Copyright 2026 by Lane Selman and Margarett Waterbury, photographs by Shawn Linehan. Published by Timber Press, Portland, OR. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Recipe: Salt-roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes with Radicchio and Crème Fraîche

Jenn Louis, “The Book of Greens”
Yield: Makes 8 small stuff potatoes

A couple of recipes in this book call for just half a head of radicchio. These cute little potatoes make a great use of that other half. Though tiny, these potatoes are rich, the perfect balance for the bitterness of the radicchio. They are easy and quick to make, and they look really spiffy because of the melted cheese on top. They are the perfect accompaniment to a steak, and they make nice little hors d’oeuvres, too.

Ingredients

Ingredients
4 tablespoons [60 ml] olive oil
1 head radicchio, halved through the core
Kosher salt
8 small Yukon Gold potatoes
1⁄2 cup [120 ml] crème fraîche or sour cream
1 green onion, green and white parts, thinly sliced into rings
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano
Worcestershire sauce, for drizzling

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C].
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the radicchio, cut side down, in the pan and cook until the cut surface is golden and caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, turn the radicchio over and season lightly with salt. Place the pan in the oven and roast until the radicchio halves are very tender when gently pressed with a finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
3. Place the potatoes in a bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon salt. Toss so each potato is well coated with salt. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan and bake until tender, about 30 minutes.
4. Finely chop half of the roasted and cooled radicchio. Mix in a small bowl with the crème fraîche, green onion, black pepper, and a light sprinkling of salt. The roasted potatoes will be quite salty, so not much is needed for the filling.
5. Cut an X in the top of each potato and, holding the bottom of each potato with your thumbs and forefingers, press to open each X. Divide the radicchio filling evenly among the potatoes, then top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
6. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan and bake until hot and the cheese is melted and golden, about 15 minutes. Drizzle with Worcestershire and serve immediately.

OTHER GREENS TO TRY frisée, pan di zucchero

Related Posts