The weeks immediately following Thanksgiving can be confusing food wise. It’s a bit too soon to start to consume -solely- cookies, cocktails and cakes. Most us are still digesting the gigantic Thanksgiving meal, as well as the leftovers.  We need a lil’ something to aid in this “digestion” in order to prepare us for more. Enter chicory, in the exact moment we need it (like when you are not looking for love and find it), it arrives.  Like clockwork after a few cold snaps, its bitter leaves are ready. Lucky for all of us it’s more widely available than ever. It is one of my favorite fall to winter vegetables and it so happens to intermingle perfectly fresh herbs. Together they are ready to help us transition our eating deeper into winter, aiding in flavor and digestion, while offering its “many-sided disposition”, which translates into many different types of recipes and dishes.

Chicories—which include three kinds of radicchios (Chioggia, Castelfranco and Treviso), escarole, curly endive and frisée—are members of the lettuce family. They are heartier and more assertive than lettuce, which is probably why I enjoy them. They are kind of like the New Yorkers of the lettuce world, in that they are loud and can be rambunctious. But unbeknownst to many chicories are tameable, and easily transformed into hearty salads, robust soups and braises and satisfying grain dishes that are perfect for the colder months. Rosemary, believe it or not is one of the most compatible herbs for winter chicories.

Rosemary and chicory both, grow profusely in the fields, wild and cultivated, throughout Italy and are prevalent in the south, which is where a lot of the original pairing ideas for these two originate from. Now a days, chicories grow all over the US with a number of different varietals available in farmers markets and grocery stores, including a lot of the online grocers. Rosemary and chicory are said to deliver maximum potency of flavor and nutrition in the days leading up to the dead of winter.

This for me is an extraordinary opportunity, especially in that I live right next door to Star Route Farms, one of the Bay Area premier chicory growers. They grow over 6 different varietals on the farm.  There are so many other ingredients that pop up or that we begin to crave this time of year that just so happen to be the perfect accompaniments for using chicory. The bittersweet leaves of chicory hold their own next to other bold winter flavors like winter citrus, roasted wild mushrooms and Parmesan and, ironically, the bitterness helps to brighten and balance the other flavors. This is exactly what rosemary does, despite its own robust nature. (Kind of like how New Yorkers tend to flock to other New Yorkers when they live out of state.)

Rosemary, potent on its own somehow melds into chicory in the perfect way. It has a potent woody-pine and lemon-peppery flavor, its pungent with slightly bitter aftertaste. It can be overpowering when used excessively and it’s not the easiest herb to pair. There is a lot of flavors that it simply does not mesh with well.

Rosemary and chicory’s hardy nature means they can be cooked without sacrificing the potency. It simply tames the bold flavors, while eating raw exacerbates them.

Chicories require bold cohorts, which is where rosemary comes in. The best flavor and texture companions are salty, sour, sweet, crunchy, garlicky and peppery:

Salty
Salty additions like Parmesan, anchovies and cured meats give these greens a fuller flavor and soften the bitterness. Salt-tasting receptors on our tongues sit closest to the bitter-tasting ones.

Sour
Pair with winter citrus like blood oranges and grapefruit or bright vinegars like white balsamic or citrus Champagne. The brightness and acidity strike a balancing contrast.

Crunchy
The heartiness of chicories pairs well with walnuts, shaved fennel and cauliflower, and apples and pears. While lesser lettuces get drowned out by crunchy bits, chicories can handle the density.

Garlicky
The potent flavor of chicory mingles well with garlic, whether it’s cooked or raw, or a combination of the two. Add roasted or raw garlic to your sautéed and braised chicory and raw salads. The punch of garlic seems to nullify some of the bitterness.

Peppery
Peppery components take the edge off the bitter. It’s like a sleight of hand on the tongue. Black pepper, arugula, green or red onions tickle out the bitter.

Sweet
A hint of sweetness optimizes your chicory dish. Raisins, figs, dates, apples, pears, honey, maple syrup and roasted veggies—particularly winter squash and carrots—are great balancing agents.

Radicchio Waldorf Salad with Rosemary Black Pepper Candied Walnuts

Serves 4-6

This pretty speckled green radicchio, Castelfranco, is lovely raw. Its mildly bitter flavor pairs well with bold apple cider, crunchy apples and  rosemary peppered walnuts.  Any mild chicory will work well in this salad.

Ingredients

For the rosemary black pepper walnuts:
1 tablespoon butter
¾ cup walnuts
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
3 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 pinch of salt

For the salad:
1 small head of radicchio, outer leaves removed and chopped coarsely
3-4 celery ribs, sliced thin
2 tart apples, cored and cut into small cubes
¼ cup raisins
1 small shallot, finely chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon apple cider or fresh apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a small, heavy bottom sauté pan on medium heat. Add the walnuts, gently stirring and coasting with the melting butter. Add the sugar, cracked black pepper, rosemary and salt and continue to stir well as the sugar melts and begins to coast the walnuts with a sticky caramel. Cook for a total of about 4 minutes and them immediately take off the heat and place the walnuts on a piece of parchment paper or clean cutting board to cool completely.

Toss together the radicchio, celery, apples, candied walnuts and raisins in a large bowl until well mixed. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the shallot, mayonnaise, vinegar, apple juice, lemon juice, rosemary and honey until smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper and taste, possibly adding more honey for sweetness. Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss until well mixed.

White Bean Chicory Stew

Serves 6-8

Beans are a healthy, versatile and economical ingredient and extremely comforting and warming in winter dishes. One pot of cooked beans yields several meals and snacks, and offers bean broth for flavoring a variety of recipes. Heirloom beans have unique flavors and textures. Toss them on salads, eat them cold in their broth or whip them into a dip. The Marcella variety, a white bean, is my favorite and I cook them with a little lemon zest and rosemary and then usually make this stew with the cooked beans. I find this dish ultra-comforting, while still healthy in the dead of winter. Load it up with chicories

Ingredients

1 pound (16 ounces) dried white beans
Zest of 1 lemon
2 springs of fresh rosemary (leaves and stems) about a handful
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus another 2 tablespoons
3 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons salt, plus additional ½ teaspoon
1 medium carrot, chopped in small cubes
½ medium red or yellow onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
Parmesan rind (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cups roughly chopped chicory
Parmesan shavings for serving
Flake salt

Directions

Combine the beans, lemon zest, rosemary springs, ¼ cup olive oil and water in a large heavy bottom soup pan and bring to a boil. Allow the beans to continue to boil, gently for about 1 ½ hours. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and cook another 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the beans sit for at least an hour or up to 2. You will need your soup pan clean so transfer them to another bowl to cool. You can also refrigerate after they cool and finish the stew another day.

Chicory Salad with Shaved Persimmons and Rosemary Blood Orange Dressing

Serves 6-8

I found this idea on the Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website and immediately noticed how super brilliant it was for the rosemary pairing. I have always used apples in the version I make for myself, but since I saw this I use shaved persimmons. They work marvelously in this recipe.

I make a lot of salad dressings in a mason jar, using what I call the “shake it like crazy” method, which leads to a super emulsified consitancy, which is needed for this salad and chicories in general.

Be sure to use the Fuyu varietal of persimmons. The Fuyu is the non-astringent varietal and sweet when still firm, which is ideal for slicing thin.

Ingredients

For the dressing:
½ medium shallot, chopped superfine
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup blood orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely cracked black pepper
pepper

For the salad:
4 cups chicory leaves, torn into large bit size pieces
2 Fuyu persimmons, sliced very thin
½ cup sliced thin red onions
¾ cup shaved Manchego cheese (sub parmesan)
½ cup toasted pistachios (sub walnuts or pecans)

Directions

Place all the salad dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake like crazy! Set aside until use, making sure to keep shaking periodically so it’s totally emulsified.

In the meantime, arrange the chicories and onions in a large bowl. When you are ready to eat, toss in enough dressing to coat the leaves and mix well. I like to use my hands to mix, it just does a better job in making sure all the leaves are coated. Add the parmesan and pistachios on top of the salad and serve.

Roasted Romanesco & Chicory Farro Salad with Feta, Nuts and Lemon-Anchovy Dressing

Serves 4-6

I’m a big fan of sheet pan cooking, and winter is an excellent time to use the oven, even when making a warm heart grain salad. At the same time, since I’m not totally keen on clean up, I prefer to use as few pans as possible. This recipe is seemingly decadent, but requires only a tiny bit of attention and little cleanup!

I like the Treviso Radicchio variety for this dish, but any chicory will work.

Ingredients

For the dressing:
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

For the salad:
2 cups Romanesco cauliflower florets
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup almonds, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 head Treviso radicchio, coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked farro
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Toss Romanesco florets, onions, rosemary, garlic, almonds and lemon zest on a large sheet tray, lined with parchment paper. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss with your hands to coat. Roast until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

To make the dressing, combine garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, olive oil and rosemary in a mason jar and shake vigorously until totally emulsified.

Place the raw radicchio, cooked farro and the roasted vegetables in a large mixing bowl, and mix well. Drizzle dressing all over them and toss well while still warm. Garnish with feta crumbles, if using.