I am supposed to be getting ready for my escape to Mexico, but I am a little swamped in preparing a bunch of big HUGE exciting surprises for you guys for next week! All I’m saying is, you better get ready for all kinds of treats and life changing excitement come Monday! Ok- that might be a tad overkill- but it will most certainly be a really cool week in my little corner of the internet!
And we will be continuing to get ready for the mother-load of all food Holidays around here by throwing out more and more and more ideas for your Thanksgiving table.
Since there can never be enough side dishes, let me share another of my favorites for this years Thanksgiving table.
Grilled Raddichio with Fresh Pears and Hot Bacon Vinaigrette. This is totally amazing and in the same way that this dish is, it’s totally beautiful on the Thanksgiving table. Actually, it’s beautiful on any table. I personally love raddichio- the crisp purple leaves are the just the right amount of bitter and fresh and when you grill the chunks you get a lovely smoky char on them, and it softens the leaves just so they don’t have that pungent rawness to them. The raddichio is combined with juicy ripe pear slices and then everything is drizzled with a hot bacony mustard vinaigrette. Then I sprinkled poppy little pomegranate seeds on top which compliment the sweetness of the pears and the bitterness of the raddichio. Try it, your guests will love this unusual take on a salad!
- Grilled Raddichio
- 2 heads Raddichio, each one quartered
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt
- Hot Bacon Vinaigrette
- 4 pieces of thick cut bacon
- 1 large shallot minced
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely minced flat leaf parsley
- 1 pear, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat. When it is really hot, brush the raddichio with the olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Grill for about 1-2 minutes on each cut side of the raddichio. Set aside when done.
- Meanwhile in a medium pan over medium heat, cook the bacon slices, turning often until they are crispy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and turn the heat off, but leave the pan on the stove top. Add the shallot to the bacon fat and stir. Add the mustard, honey, oil and vinegar and whisk together.
- Arrange the raddichio on a platter and top with the fresh pear slices and the crumbled bacon. Add the parsley to the hot dressing and drizzle it over the top of the raddichio. Season to taste with kosher salt and then sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
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never enough side dishes! this one is so beautiful and sounds delicious!
Enjoy your Mexico vacation!!
PS. Heather, I will make this salad tonight, I have all ingredients on stock.
By the way, in the ingredients’ list, you might want to add the pears: -)
What a creative dish. I could pour this hot bacon vinaigrette on green beans, sprouts or broccoli. Have a great vacation!
Grilled raddichio sounds like perfection!
How beautiful Heather! So fun seeing you in Chicago last weekend! Hope to see you again soon
I love grilled raddachio! This is so pretty and so seasonally on point.
Wow! I would never guess that grilled raddichio could look so festive! I love the flavors in this – especially the pomegranate seeds and balsamic vinegar!
Wow, that is gorgeous. I’ve never tried grilled raddichio before – I will have to make this!