Let’s start with radicchio! Add a little sweet, a little sour, and you’re there! All’s right in the world.
We seem to keep drifting between late summer and fall, bright blues skies and finally some rain. Today, I took a walk with the dogs without a sweater, even though I woke up in the morning to a heavy frost. By afternoon, I’m airing out the house opening doors and windows. Once the sun goes down this time of year, it gets quite chilly and I know I’ll want a fire. The grass is still green, there remain pockets of lovely foliage, and many of the trees haven’t lost their leaves, especially along the lake. In my yard, one side is almost ‘stick season’ with all the leaves down, and the other still has some green leaves and lovely yellows. So much depends on the wind. My roses are blooming, and my garden is still offering chard, parsley and other herbs, kale, lots of kale, sprouting broccoli, and my Brussels sprouts I’m saving for Thanksgiving.
There’s always color!
It’s not just the leaves that decorate the Vermont landscape this time of year; there’s so much color at the farm stands to dazzle us still. Beets of every color, deep fuchsia watermelon radishes, vibrant orange carrots and squashes of every shape and size including pumpkins, juicy red, yellow, green, pink, and speckled apples, deep purple lettuces, purple, pink, and yellow potatoes, and greens of all shapes and colors. One of our favorites is radicchio, that marvelously vibrant green that offers a delightful change from other salad greens, leaning heavily on the bitter side of our taste buds. This is a green that will make you stand up and take notice, and bitter often makes one appreciate the sweet.
Colorful members of the chicory family
Although originating in Italy, this cold-hardy member of the chicory family is perfect for growing in the northern climate of New England, and we’re finding many different varieties in recent years as our farmers experiment. After frost, the bitterness is mellowed quite a bit, but still very present. Most commonly, you’ll find the Chioggia variety which looks a lot like a little round head of purple cabbage. This year locally, I found Chioggia, the longer heads of Treviso, and Castelfranco, the least bitter with its splattered markings on pale green leaves, all in great abundance. A relative of Belgium endive, dandelions, and lettuces, they are filled with nutrition and lots of flavor.
And the winners of the beauty pageant, clockwise from left: the speckled Castelfranco, Chioggia, and Treviso, all regions of Italy where they originated.
Not just a pretty face
Bitter greens have long been used medicinally as blood purifiers, and in the case of radicchio specifically for both aids in sleep and digestion. A good source of vitamins K, C, and B6, it is also high in copper, zinc, potassium, and phosphorus. A great anti-oxidant and source of phytonutrients, this plant is linked to assisting in heart, blood pressure, and blood sugar health. There’s also strong evidence it helps to ward off cancer, particularly of the liver, and can actually help with insomnia.
How to tame the bitter dragon
Alas, the bitterness may be what makes it so nutritious, but that bitterness can be tamed if that is what is wished. Some varieties are less bitter than other, and it does depend on the time of year; after frost, the sweetness develops. Cooked, it is less bitter than raw, and with the addition of a bit of sweet and sour, a balance is achieved which even the most bitter sensitive may appreciate. For those who embrace the bitter, use it raw in salads, they also make a colorful little cup to fill with hummus or other dip for a crudité platter. Chop it up and toss it in a stir-fry or a soup or stew. Stuff it with goat cheese or ricotta with lemon, and drizzle with a bit of honey. Stir it into pasta or polenta, add it to a frittata or omelet, or use it as a green in a sandwich. So many possibilities.
Let’s make this easy
This recipe is simple and quick, easy on the palate, and the oven does most of the work. You can also do this on the grill outside if weather permits, even better because you’ll get the smoky flavor as a bonus.
A sweet and sour balance
We’ve used both sweet in the form of maple syrup and sweet corn, and sour with the juicy roasted lemon to balance the bitter. The radicchio was one of my last purchases at the farmers market before it closed for the year, but our farmstands and co-ops still have plenty of the local available, and these heads will store for weeks if you find them! If you can’t find them, or really don’t enjoy the bitter at all, you can substitute Napa or Chinese cabbage. I also used fresh corn from the farm stand, probably the last of the season, but you can substitute thawed frozen corn, just pat it dry before popping it in the oven.
If you have time after supper, go for a little walk and breathe in the crisp, sweet autumn air; it always lifts the spirits, chases away the bitterness of the coming chill.
Charred Radicchio and Sweet Corn
- 2 or 3 heads of Treviso or other radicchio
- 2 cups corn kernels
- 1 small sweet or hot pepper for garnish, sliced thinly
- 1 lemon, cut in half at equator
The glaze:
- 1 tbsp. dark amber maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. red miso, or miso of choice
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot finely minced
Preheat oven to 425 F. (220 C.) or convection 400 F. (200 C.)
Cut the radicchio in quarters lengthwise, leaving the root end intact. Mix all glaze ingredients together.
Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil and place the radicchio quarters, flat sides down, on the sheet, along with the lemon. Brush with a bit more oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast for 10 minutes, turn the quarters over and brush on the glaze. Return to the oven and roast another 10 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the radicchio cooked through. Remove and set aside to keep warm.
Add the corn kernels and pepper rings to the pan, season, and return to the oven and let cook until starting to char. Keep an eye on them, it doesn’t take long since the pan and oven are piping hot.Place the radicchio on a platter and drizzle liberally with a firm squeeze of the lemon slices. Nestle in the corn kernels any way you like, and garnish with the pepper rings.
Deep in the colorful heart of autumn in the northeast!
“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” ~ Samuel Butler
© Copyright 2025– or current year, The New Vintage Kitchen. Dorothy Grover-Read. Unattributed use of this material and photographs is strictly prohibited. Reposting and links may be used, provided that credit is given to The New Vintage Kitchen, with active link and direction to this original post.
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Thank you. Always a joy to read
Thank you so much!
The grilled radicchio looks delicious!
Thank you! Even the husband liked it!
You’re really rubbing it in!!! Beautiful veggies. Love the glaze!
I know we are spoiled here, one of the co-ops I use has been around for 50 years!
The glaze is a favorite, so easy and we always have the ingredients on hand.
This is quite a pairing of flavors, it sounds tasty!
It was really good Jan, and quick to make.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this stocked in the UK supermarket, certainly not in those in my neighbourhood. I used to see it all the time when I visited family in the US.
Well I hope you happy hunter gathering? Do you have Whole Foods or equivalent?
Whole Foods on Amazon UK but only dry goods (seeds; nuts; dried herbs)
A big plate of loveliness!
Mary :))
Thanks Mary! Such a lovely way of putting it!
Radicchio isn’t currently available, Dorothy. But, I did see the Chinese cabbage yesterday! Love your images. You must have had fun with your Granddaughter and her college friends visiting. I know they’d love your food and hospitality!
It was a crazy houseful, but in exchange for lots of good food, they stacked all our wood!
You inspire me, Dorothy, with your words woven into a tapestry of food, beauty, and a dash of appreciation for what is good for the body and soul. To sit at your table would be such a delight. Thank you for adding the fun photographs of the fall environment, and the adorable little possum. The cooler it gets, the more likely I am to want to cook and bake, and the more likely Randy will want to fire up the smoker or the grill.
This is lovely on the grill Suz! So delightful, and I love using up those coals!
Oh, so love the taste but have never grown myself! Gorgeous to look at, lovely to read . . . enjoy!
Thank you my friend! I crave these bitter greens.
Autumn is very suggestive of the tasty colors produced in her season. You are always in harmony with these combines of flavor and season. Your recipe is deliciously festive! You have me in gear. Now comes the pastry and fowl! 😋
And the apples! There’s always apples!
How can I forget the apples…
Not a vegetable I see much here however your ideas sound delicious if I do come across some…my father always used to say the brussel sprouts were sweeter after the first frost on them 🙂 x
They really are, Carol. I’ve been resisting picking any of mine because I want them all for our Thanksgiving!
Love them all even in simple salads! Back home they are very familiar as we live in that area 😉
They add so much interest and flavor!
Oh my gosh, Dorothy. This looks so delicious. Well done! 👀🍃😋
Thank you! It was really tasty!
Very impressive, too. 🙌
I take my bow! 😇
Ah, shucks!
I’m a big fan of the whole Radicchio family, and who can resist the combination of maple syrup and miso? I’m sold! 🙂
Excellent! You’re invited over the next time!
Interesting flavors. Looks tasty!
Thank you!
Anything with a bit of dark amber maple syrup in the recipe has to be so good!
I agree!
What a great way to combat the bitter! Never thought to glaze it. Thank you
Thank you! The glaze is so good! And it really tames the bitterness.
I l
What a brilliant idea Dorothy! I love the combination of corn and radicchio!
Thanks Jo! It was such a delicious combination, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before!
Thanks for reposting this! I hope you enjoy!
Peace!
Love these veggies and the glaze sounds really good! 🙂
Thanks Nancy! Some of my favorites too!
I like using radicchio in salads for not only its color but also that bitterness. I’ll definitely have to try your recipe.
Thanks Karen! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
I don’t come across too many radicchio recipes, so I’m happy to have found this one. Cheers!
Happy you found it too! Hope you enjoy.
I can eat anything with a sweet and sour sauce, this sounds good! That sunset or sunrise picture is beautiful.
That was a beautiful sunset!