Radicchio and speck pesto with walnuts, or radicchio and speck cream, Grandma’s recipe for a delicious radicchio condiment. The radicchio and speck pesto with walnuts, ricotta and Parmesan is not actually a traditional pesto, but a tasty sauce that can be used on everything, like the Many homemade pesto recipes to try we’ve made so far. You can use it as a dressing for pasta by thinning it with a little cooking water, enjoy it on crostini and bruschetta, and it can be the right accompaniment for grissini or gourmet pizzas. You can also eat it by the spoonful, and however you consume it, it will always be delicious!
The ingredients for the speck and radicchio sauce are few and tasty; the recipe is simple and everything is prepared in just a few minutes, making it the right solution for a quick and economical first course that everyone can make.
Let’s go to the kitchen — I’m sure the radicchio, speck and walnut pesto with ricotta will win you over immediately. Before we start, if you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make radicchio and speck pesto
- 14 oz radicchio (early or late red radicchio)
- 7 oz speck (or pancetta)
- 1/2 cup ricotta (or spreadable cheese)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup walnut kernels
- 2/3 cup Parmesan (or Grana Padano, grated)
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Tools
- Pot
- Stovetop
- Blenders
Preparation
For this recipe I used early red radicchio, but you can also use late-season radicchio.
Separate the radicchio leaves and rinse them. Heat (but do not fry) the garlic with the oil, add the speck or pancetta and wait until it changes color and becomes paler.
Add the radicchio leaves and, as soon as they begin to wilt, pour in the vinegar — this will prevent them from darkening too much. Soften the leaves (this will only take a few minutes), then gather everything in the blender jar together with the ricotta and Parmesan. Blend until you obtain a smooth cream, adding a little oil (or pasta cooking water if you plan to dress pasta with the pesto) if the mixture is too thick.
For a little extra flavor, add the walnut kernels and blend again to incorporate them with the rest of the ingredients.
The pesto is ready to be used in your dishes.
Storage and tips
The pesto keeps in the refrigerator for up to one week, well sealed in an airtight container. You can also portion it into small cubes or cups and freeze it.
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