An alternative flower for Valentine's: Verona Pink Radicchio

It may seem like a joke, but you could make an alternative gift for the upcoming Valentine's Day. It has a pink color and the shape of a rose, but it is not a flower: what is it? It is a specialty of the Veronese lands and it is what we at Spaghetti & Mandolino propose for a romantic dinner: the Radicchio Rosa di Verona.

Radicchio rosa: sweet and slightly bitter

Beautiful to look at, crunchy, sweet, and at the same time slightly bitter in taste, in short, a pleasant surprise. The Radicchio Rosa di Verona comes, in fact, from the long Venetian tradition of producing various types of red radicchio, from the many variegated and large Treviso varieties to the IGP Radicchio Rosso di Verona, the red gold of the low Veronese region, as they like to call it in the plains south of the Scaliger city.

Radicchio rosa: the Rose of Verona

And it could only be born in the lands of the two most famous young lovers in the world, Juliet and Romeo. The Rosa di Verona is a rare type of radicchio and produced in limited quantities that offers very interesting taste pleasures and, for this reason, is particularly used in haute cuisine as well. Excellent for a fresh colorful salad to pair with fish appetizers and meat tartare. It is often used as a vessel for, for example, shrimp cocktails in pink sauce, to serve fried shrimp tails, or for scampi and other shellfish.

The leaf remains particularly crunchy and its gentle flavor and slightly bitter taste make this radicchio ideal for wrapping meat tartare or finely chopped meat from noble breeds. It doesn't lend itself well to risottos or other recipes where it is cooked, but it becomes excellent for stuffing fancy club sandwiches and coloring your dishes with suggestive harmonies. It is also pleasant to accompany delicate and creamy cheeses such as crescenza, stracchino, Casatella Trevigiana DOP, or fresh Robiola from Piedmont. Pleasant also with drops of creamy Gorgonzola DOP dolce.

Radicchio rosa: a quick recipe

A tip? Try covering a leaf of Radicchio Rosa di Verona with a piece of Zenzerito, our delicious creamy cheese with Ginger, Lime, and Red Pepper: it will be a true surprise. Serve the radicchio rosa in a nice white ceramic salad bowl and keep your hearts open: it will look like a real bouquet for a tasty and definitely romantic evening.

And happy Valentine's Day to everyone!