The Rialto Market

Having successfully crammed my possessions into half of my suitcase for the trip home, I spent a very happy hour shopping for food in the Rialto Market.  Top of my list was Radicchio Tradivo a special type of radicchio that is only available in the Veneto during the autumn. It looks amazing and is extraordinarily delicious.  Once home, I put it in cold water overnight, then cleaned it and cut it in half lengthwise, seasoned it with pepper and salt and drizzled it generously with olive oil before grilling it gently, turning it over half way through cooking.  It reduces dramatically in the cooking, but  there was enough to share with friends who agreed that its gently bitter, caramelised flavour was both delicious and memorable.  Had I filled the entire suitcase with radicchio I might have been able to make risotto with it too – maybe next time.
I recently read Helen Attlee’s engrossing book ‘The Land where Lemons Grow’ about the turbulent (at times Mafia dominated) history of lemon and mandarin growing in Sicily and the many different varieties available in different seasons, so I selected one green and one orange variety of mandarin to add to my shopping bag and finished off with a large lump of parmesan and some porcini – the latter suffered most from the travelling – but they still tasted delicious.