When I pulled the hay mulch away from the rich brown, clean smelling beds in the garden yesterday amidst the first warming trend we’ve seen since September, not only did I find garlic that I’d planted last fall, but a little, lone radicchio plant that had survived our cold, snowy winter. It’s too small to do anything with, I’ll need to wait another month or two. But of course that stimulated a craving for bitter, colorful “greens,” purple or otherwise.
Off to the co-op to find luscious, colorful heads of minerals and vitamins for which my body is clamoring. And when I got home, I played. This is what we had for dinner with a Rosemary Roasted Chicken and crusty bread.
Radicchio, Bacon, Olive and Preserved Lemon Salad
No salt is needed for this recipe because the bacon, olives and lemons already make this a salty salad. If you don’t have preserved lemons, don’t worry, just add fresh lemon juice (and then maybe a little salt and lemon zest) to taste.
2 strips bacon, diced and cooked
1/4 cup preserved lemon, diced
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/2 head radicchio, sliced, approximately 4 cups
3-4 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped coarsely, approximately 3 cups
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (more if you don’t have preserved lemons)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the bacon. When bacon is done, add the olives and remove from heat. Toss all ingredients together and serve.
Serves 4
Annie
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