A bitter, bold salad made with radicchio lettuce, parsley, toasted hazelnuts, crumbled pecorino Romano cheese, and sweet and tangy vinaigrette made from maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. This fun salad is a great way to take advantage of radicchio season and makes any meal feel extra special!
Radicchio: probably the lettuce I eat least often, but oddly enough the lettuce that was calling to me from the market this week.
Admittedly, my most common experience with radicchio is avoiding giant chunks of it in the mixed greens bin at the salad bar, but sometimes I get a surprise smaller bite of it’s crunchy, not-quite-cabbage texture and bitter flavor in my salads and my tastebuds go woah, this stuff is good.
So, I decided to create a salad that highlights radicchio in all it’s glory; we’re not trying to hide it’s bold, bitter qualities, but instead are going to pair it with lots of other textures and flavors to help balance out it’s assertiveness.
To this bowl of radicchio we’re adding:
Roasted Hazelnuts
Pecorino Romano Cheese
Parsley
Red Onions
& a peppery vinaigrette made from Maple Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Dijon Mustard.
It’s tangy, sweet, salty, crunchy, ever so slightly spicy, earthy, fresh, and perfectly bitter.
I think you’re going to love it.
I’ve been eating big bowls of it for lunch lately, but think this salad would make the perfect addition to a dinner party, brunch, or even just as a side with pizza on Friday night.
Plus, it’s endlessly customizable: out of hazelnuts? grab walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pistachios instead. Not into parsley? Reach for chives or basil. Pecorino not your style? Parmesan, Asiago, a suuuuper sharp cheddar, or even a block of vegan parm would be great here! Apple cider vinegar not your favorite? Use lemon juice, red wine vinegar, etc. You get the point- this salad is all about balancing flavors and textures, but doesn’t rely on any one ingredient to make it perfect, so experiment away!
If you make this fun radicchio salad, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your pretty pink salad and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!
Radicchio Salad with Pecorino & Hazelnuts
Ingredients
vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
salad
- 2 medium heads of radicchio
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley tightly packed
- 1/2 large red onion
- 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts
- 4 oz pecorino romano cheese
Instructions
- First, make the vinaigrette by placing all of it’s ingredients into a small jar and shaking well to combine. Set aside until needed.
- Cut the radicchio in half and slice out the core in the center. Then, thinly slice each radicchio half into long, thin shreds. Place the radicchio into a large salad bowl.
- Remove any tough stems from the parsley and roughly chop the leaves/tender stems. Add them to the bowl with the radicchio, drizzle over the dressing, and toss to combine.
- Thinly slice the red onion, roughly chop the hazelnuts, and use the tines of a fork to break up the pecorino into small, rough chunks. Add all three to the top of the salad and serve immediately.
- If desired, all components of this salad can be prepped ahead and stored in separate containers in the fridge for up to 4 days, then dressed and assembled right before serving.