Serves
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 Castelfranco radicchio, about 7 ounces (200 g)
4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs, whisked and seasoned with salt and pepper
½ cup (65 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Excellent-quality balsamic vinegar (I like Chiarli)
Procedure
I am so smitten with the spectrum of chicories—Italian bitter green and cream and red leafy vegetables—that I can now find in Seattle from late summer until early spring. This dish, made with the gorgeously speckled radicchio variety Castelfranco, is the perfect dinner night in with your sweetheart. If you can’t get Castelfranco, regular radicchio, Treviso, or a smallish escarole is a good substitute. The bitterness of the leaves is cushioned by the soft luxury of the eggs and a kiss of sweet-tart balsamic vinegar. (A request: Please spend some good money on your balsamic—you don’t need to getextravagant condiment grade, but invest enough to get barrel-aged vinegar—it will last nearly forever in the fridge and you only need a bit at a time. Typical grocery store balsamic is too thin and sour and lacks the resonance of traditional balsamic.) The dish comes together quickly after you add the eggs, so have your serving plates warm and
your guest in the room and ready to eat. Dan is, fortunately, almost always ready to eat. Serve with a plate of prosciutto di Parma and pretend you are in Parma, Italy.
Before cooking, cut each Castelfranco in half top to bottom and then again to make 4 quarters. Trim away three-quarters of the thick core in the middle of each Castelfranco wedge. It will cook more evenly this way. You’re looking for wedges no more than 1 inch
(2.5 cm) thick, so bigger chicories may need to be cut more.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large steel pan over medium heat. When shimmering, place the cut Castelfranco wedges cut side down in the pan, leaving a couple of inches between each piece (depending on the size of the pan, you may need to work in two batches). After about 2 minutes, flip each wedge and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes, removing any single leaves as they look done; it is nice to get a bit of browning on the wedges. Remove the wedges to a nearby plate and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir half of the cheese into the seasoned eggs. When the oil is shimmering, pour in the eggs; they will cook quickly, so be ready! As soon as the eggs set a bit, give them a
quick scramble with a spatula, then add the cooked chicories. Fold the mixture once, then turn the heat off.
At this point you can remove it or leave it in the pan to cook with residual heat until the eggs are set to your preference—I like my scrambles soft. Plate with the rest of the cheese, a bit more black pepper, and a generous drizzle of fancy balsamic vinegar.
Eat right away.
