Warm Radicchio Salad with Lemon,
Brown Butter, and Ricotta

I spent last week holed up in a Georgia cabin with two of my best friends, writing and recording music without a care for what was happening in the outside world. Whenever we needed a break, I took to the kitchen to whip us up something to eat. This warm salad came together in the spur of the moment. The acidity from the lemon does wonders to temper the bitterness of the radicchio, while the nuttiness of the brown butter dresses up the creamy ricotta and the sweet, dried fruit. I made the ricotta a few days in advance in anticipation of putting it in everything. You can do whatever works best for you. 

Serves 3-4

• 1 radicchio head, halved, core removed
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning
• A drizzle of olive oil
• A handful of dried fruit, such as cherries, or raisins
• 4 tablespoons, or more, unsalted butter

For the ricotta:

• 1/2 gallon whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons salt

To make the ricotta: Combine the whole milk, heavy cream, buttermilk and salt in a large non-reactive pot and set over medium heat. Gently run a wooden spoon or whisk against the bottom of the pot every few minutes as the mixture heats up to prevent sticking and burning. After about 30 minutes the whey will start visibly separating from the curd. Turn the heat down to low and let the curd continue to pool on the surface, all the while gently running the spoon against the bottom as before. Set a cheese cloth over a bowl so that the cloth hangs out and over. Pour the contents of the pot into the cloth laden bowl. Let the curds cool down completely in the whey, then separate the curds by lifting out the cloth. Reserve the whey for other cooking projects, such as seasoning soups. Store the strained ricotta in a container in the fridge. It’ll keep for a week or two.

To make the salad: Preheat a grill to 350F. Meanwhile, season the radicchio halves with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set aside.

To brown the butter, simply warm the butter in a small sauce pot over medium heat. The butter will melt, then foam, then begin to brown.Warm gently until the color of the butter darkens and the aroma becomes nutty. Remove from the heat and set aside. Brown butter can be stored in an airtight container and retains a long shelf life. It’s a nice thing to have on hand so feel free to make more than you need for this recipe.

Once the grill is hot, place the radicchio halve-side-down and grill for a couple of minutes. The leaves touching the grill should show grill marks, while the rest of the leaves should be heated through. If necessary, remove a few outermost layers of radicchio leaves and place them directly on the grill to finish cooking.

Remove the radicchio from the grill and rub the fronts and backs of the individual radicchio leaves with lemon wedges, landing them in a salad bowl. Squeeze the juice of a couple of the lemon wedges over the radicchio as you go. Toss the spent lemon wedges into the bowl along with a handful of dried fruits and some sprinklings of ricotta. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of brown butter over the top. Serve warm.