Today a very quick recipe for the usual Light and Tasty Monday. For today’s theme “a red ingredient” I cooked a side dish that’s a hit at home: red radicchio in a pan, this time paired with leek and Jerusalem artichoke.
You know I love skillet vegetable mixes, right? They always take ten minutes to prepare, maybe while, for example, your pasta is cooking.
And if you don’t have time to make a pasta sauce, you can also — why not — turn the side dish into a sauce. After all, the line between a side and a vegetable sauce can be very thin, if you love vegetables, or when you need to get lunch on the table in no time.
There are actually quite a few skillet vegetable recipes on this blog, proof that at my house the occasions “mmmm I’m craving vegetables” and “help I’m late for lunch!” happen very often. 😅
Until now I had never tried this flavor combination of red radicchio and Jerusalem artichoke, both slightly bitter, sweetened by the leek. I really liked it.
So here it is, the light Monday recipe, all for you.
Enjoy your meal!!
〰 〰 〰
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
- Half red radicchio
- 1 leek (small)
- 1 Jerusalem artichoke
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- sunflower seeds
Tools
- Pan nonstick
How to cook red radicchio in a pan with leek and Jerusalem artichoke
Wash and slice the leek.
👉 For this recipe I mainly used the stem, that is the green part of the leek. I recommend always using the green part because it should not be considered waste.
Wash well (or peel) the Jerusalem artichoke and slice it.
👉 I usually don’t peel the Jerusalem artichoke (but it depends; sometimes I peel the rougher spots or areas with more knobs).
Place both in the pan with a drizzle of oil and cook for about 6-8 minutes with the lid closed.
In the meantime wash and slice the red radicchio, then add it to the pan.
👉 I used Chioggia radicchio. For the quantity, half a small head was enough for me, but you can adjust the proportion between the three ingredients to taste.
👉 Long radicchio works great too.
Cook for 5-8 minutes without the lid, stirring frequently with a spoon. If necessary, moisten as needed with a couple of tablespoons of water.
Plate and season with balsamic cream; optionally add a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil.
Enrich with sunflower, sesame, or pumpkin seeds (or a mix), preferably toasted beforehand in a small pan.
Enjoy!
Salt-free Tips
Try this red radicchio skillet without salt! You will appreciate the true flavors of the radicchio and the Jerusalem artichoke, both slightly bitter, combined with the sweetness of the leek.
☝ All vegetables, especially when cooked in a pan without boiling in water, have their intrinsic flavor, which we only need to learn to recognize. The true taste of food is always appreciated more over time, after having “taught” the taste buds to “detox” from the salty flavor of salt, which since childhood they have been daily “bombarded” with. Trust me, try to undertake this taste journey. 😊
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
– Reduce salt gradually; the palate must get used to it slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
– Use spices: chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, cumin…
– Use aromatic herbs: basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
– Use seeds: sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
– Use pungent vegetables or fruit: garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
– Use my salt-free vegetable granulate and gomasio.
– Prefer fresh foods.
– Avoid boiling in water; prefer cooking methods that do not disperse flavors (griddle, foil, steam, microwave).
– Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
– Allow yourself an occasional indulgence. It’s good for the mood and helps you persist.
If you don’t want to, or cannot, give up salt:
– You can still try my recipes seasoning them according to your habits.
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Here are the other recipes from the Light and Tasty Team, today all with a red ingredient:
Carla Emilia: Agghiotta-style swordfish
Daniela: Baked red beet pesto
Elena: Gnocchi with Aeolian pesto
Milena: Spiced pears in red wine
