Castelfranco chicory

Chicorée de Castelfranco

What it is

It appeared in the Veneto at the end of the nineteenth century as a cross between Treviso radicchio and escarole, taking the broad pale leaf from one and the wine-red flecking from the other. The cream colour is not natural: the heads are forced in the dark, and daylight would turn them green and properly bitter.

In the kitchen

Use the whole leaves as cups and dress them at the last second — vinaigrette wilts them within minutes. A little honey or a sweet vinegar suits it better than a sharp one, since there is far less bitterness here to balance.

Goes with

Olive oil Balsamic vinegar Walnut Gorgonzola dolce Pear Anchovy Honey Parmesan

Same species

Barbe de capucin Belgian endive Escarole Frisée Puntarelle Radicchio

In season alongside

Bergamot Bettarazuke Blue foot mushroom Broccoli Brousse du Rove Buck’s-horn plantain

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