from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
The
red Radicchio.
Photograph
courtesy of wayne marshall.
Radicchio,
Chicorée Italienne or Chicorée Rouge and Chioggia.
Radicchio: a family of
leafy vegetables from the chicory family. Radicchios began in
Italy as hybrids and quickly became popular in France. Despite the variety of
radicchios available in France, most will be in the markets and on the menu just
as Chicorée Rouge or Radicchio. The limited use of their original names, is a
copyright problem. Despite that radicchios are very much part of the French kitchen.
Young radicchio leaves
will be included, uncooked, in salads while larger leaves will be fried or
grilled and served as a garnish. In Northern Italy, as well as Italian
restaurants in France, cooked radicchio will be served with pasta and inside
ravioli. As the radicchio is related to chicory they also
bring a slightly bitter taste, especially in larger leaves. However, cooking
removes most, but not all, of the bitterness. Radicchio has, in fact, a light
bitter taste that grows on you. In salads, young radicchio leaves offer a
pleasant contrast among other salad leaves.
Chicorée - Radicchio on
the French Menu.
Le Risotto à la Chicorée Rouge, Parmesan et Champignons
Sautés – A risotto made with red
chicory, Parmesan cheese and lightly fried button
mushrooms.
Rémoulade de Radis Noir et Chicorée Rouge. Black
radishes and red chicory served with a mustard and mayonnaise-based sauce.
Black radishes come from the same family as the red radish. However, in a dish
such as this, the black radishes will almost certainly be served peeled as just
under the peel they have a strong bite.
Seiches Avec Haricots Cannellini, Olives
et Chicorée Rouge de Chioggia. Cuttlefish served with Italian cannellini beans, olives,
and the Chioggia Radicchio. Cannellini are dried white Italian beans. These
beans are both imported and grown in France. In French dishes, the cannellini bean may sometimes
replace the traditional French white Haricot Blanc.
Cœur de Ris de Veau Poele, Radicchio, Poireaux
et Ail Noir De Aomori. The
heart of lightly fried veal sweetbreads served with leaves from the red radicchio,
leeks, and the black garlic of Aomori.
The black garlic of Aomori is a Japanese
creation. To make this black garlic white garlic is marinated in seawater until it reaches a texture
similar to prunes. Only a light garlic aroma remains, and the taste changes to
a somewhat fruity taste with balsamic overtones. The Prefecture of Aomori is in
the Northern part of Honshu, Japan’s largest Island.
Sweetbreads are one of the tastiest cuts of
organ meat. However, from my knowledge and a short investigation the term
the "heart of sweetbreads" has no real meaning. It may upgrade the menu but it remains just menuise and does not indicate a specific cut. I will have to write a post on
sweetbreads, as these very tasty internal organs are not well known, outside of
restaurants, in North America and the UK.
Magret
de Canard Poêlé, Choux et Radicchio Braisé – Lightly fried duck
breast served with braised cabbage and braised radicchio leaves. When ordering
duck breast remember that the French prefer theirs slight rosé, pink. If you prefer your duck well done tell
the server. Unlike steaks you will
rarely be asked, in France, how you would like duck breast cooked.
Salade Chaude de Poulet Fermière, Radicchio di
Treviso et sa Sauce à La Mangue. A warm chicken salad accompanied by leaves from the Treviso Radicchio,
all served with a mango sauce,
Onglet
de Bœuf Black Angus à la Chicorée Rouge à l'Anchois –A
flank or skirt steak from the Black Angus beef served with an anchovy sauce
made by blending anchovies with olive oil and radicchio.
The
most popular radicchios in French markets.
On French menus the chicorée
rouge or radicchio rouge will most probably come from one of the four most
popular varieties.
Chicorée
Rouge, Chicorée Rouge di Chioggia,
Radicchio di Chiogga, Radicchio Rosso di Chioggia IGP –
The
Red Radicchio or the Chioggia Radicchio.
This is the best-known member of the radicchio
family. It is nearly round with leaves the color of Burgundy, but with white
ribs. Apart from the white ribs red chicory looks somewhere between a round red
lettuce or a red cabbage. The Radicchio di Chioggia will mostly be seen in
salads. Though, like the other members
of the radicchio family it may also be served grilled or prepared as part of a
main dish.
This Radicchios origins come from around the
town of Chioggia, Italy. The town of Chioggia
is in the same lagoon as Venice, Italy. If you are visiting Venice and
have a day free, take a Vaporetto, a water bus, for a one hour and a half trip,
within the Venice Lagoon, to Chioggia.
Chioggia
Photograph courtesy of
andre_gas.
In Chioggia You will have an enjoyable and
different day away from the crowds. Chioggia is the largest fishing port in the area, and it also has canals. However, despite the name,
the Radicchios de Chioggia do not come from the town. The radicchios come the from the mainland
opposite the town. The land there is also called Chioggia. In this part of Chioggia, it is the farmers, not the fishermen and
women, who are famous. And their fame is not confined to radicchios.
The Chioggia radicchio
in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(German -
radicchio rosso di Chioggia), (Italian - radicchio di Chioggia), (Spanish - achicoria de Chioggia),
Chicorée
Rouge di Chioggia - The Radicchio Rosso
di Chiogga
Chicorée Tardive - Radicchio Tardivo di Traviso.
Chicorée
Rouge de Trévise or the Chicorée Trévise
Radicchio
Rosso di Treviso IGP.
The
Treviso Radicchio.
This long-leafed radicchio is excellent when
grilled and will often be served as a garnish. Treviso and the area around are
both a center of agriculture as well as a major center of Italian industry.
Treviso is just a few miles down the road from the beautiful city of Vicenza to
the west and Padova to its east. Treviso is 80 km from Venice.
Chicorée
Rouge de Trévise or Radicchio Rosso di
Treviso
This radicchio, as its secondary names
indicate, is a late growing radicchio. A tardy winter member of the radicchio
family. This is also the strongest tasting member of the radicchio family and
best when grilled.
The Treviso Radicchio in
the languages of France’s neighbors:
(German - radicchio aus Treviso), (Italian - radicchio rosso di Treviso), (Spanish
achicoria rosa di Treviso ),
Chicorée de Verona - Radicchio de Verona.
Radicchio di Verona IGP
The Verona Radicchio.
This is a small oval shaped radicchio. The
smaller leaves will be used in salads and the larger leaves will be cooked,
usually grilled. Verona, the town, is famous for its beautiful old town, its
Roman amphitheater and, of course, the original setting of the story of Romeo
and Juliet.
The Verona Radicchio in
the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Italian - radicchio rosso di Verona),
(German - radicchio di Verona), (Spanish - achicoria rosa di Verona).
Photograph
courtesy of Artist in Doing Nothing
All these new radicchios,
and many other special hybrid vegetables, were developed along an agricultural line that follows the highway
from Milan to Venice. Why, I do not know?
However, within that 100 km from Verona to Venice you will find some of
the best Northern Italian cuisine and an
amazing collection of radicchios.
The radicchios served in
French restaurants are mostly grown in France, though some are Italian imports.
Radicchios, except for the Radicchio de Castelfranco, are mostly seen with a
dark mauve color and white ribs. Moreover, surprisingly, if you drive through areas that
grow radicchios you may be surprised to see only fields of green radicchios. These green radicchios are
taken from the fields and placed in covered rooms with running water and kept completely in the
dark. There the natural photosynthesis that
keeps the radicchio green is halted. Voila, the green radicchios continue to
grow and become mauve.
Bringing
in the radicchios.
Photograph
courtesy of Dave_McGurgan.
Radicchios
and the IGP lablel.
Most of the original
varieties of radicchio from Italy are registered IGP names. IGP on English labels is written PGI for Protected Geographical Indication. Behind these labels are
regulations from Pan-European agreements. These agreements permit a well-known
food product or wine from a specific area to register its name and locality. That
registration becomes an IGP/ PGI and limits,
The PGI label
throughout the European Union. the use of a name to a specific area. That means that a Radicchio de Verona grown in France cannot legally use the name Verona. With these restrictions the different radicchios appear on French menus and in the markets just as a radicchio or radicchio rouge.
N.B.: Cheddar, a village in Somerset in the UK never tried to limit the manufacture of Cheddar Cheese to its original area. Cheddar has no IGP and consequently Cheddar Cheese may made anywhere. The best Cheddar cheeses no longer come from Cheddar.
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright:
2010, 2015