As the winter months draw in, celebrated chef and food writer Meera Sodha has unveiled a stunning new recipe designed to bring warmth and sophisticated flavour to the dinner table. Her radicchio and Chianti risotto is a masterclass in balancing bitter and sweet notes, finished with a homemade walnut pesto for a luxurious touch.
The Art of Bitter Flavours in Winter Cooking
In her introduction to the dish, Sodha makes a passionate case for embracing bitter ingredients during the darker season. She lists favourites such as Seville oranges, grapefruit, and brassicas, but reserves a special affection for radicchio. While she enjoys varieties like castelfranco and tardivo, she highlights radicchio di Chioggia as the ideal choice for this recipe. This popular, round variety offers a manageable bitterness that mellows and sweetens beautifully when cooked, especially when paired with a generous glug of red wine.
Crafting the Perfect Risotto: A Step-by-Step Guide
The recipe, which serves four people, requires 15 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. Key ingredients include 60g of unsalted butter, one large onion, four garlic cloves, a 400g radicchio di Chioggia, 350g Arborio rice, and 250ml of Chianti. A full litre of hot vegetable stock is used to slowly cook the rice to al dente perfection, before finishing with 70g of grated vegetarian Parmesan and black pepper.
The method is classic yet precise. The process begins by sweating the onion in butter until translucent, then adding garlic and most of the chopped radicchio. Once the rice is toasted and the Chianti absorbed, the patient addition of stock begins. After about 20 minutes, the risotto is rested with a final dot of butter and a lid, allowing the flavours to meld.
The Finishing Touch: A Vibrant Radicchio & Walnut Pesto
While the risotto rests, Sodha's recipe incorporates a quick but impactful pesto to serve on top. This combines extra-virgin olive oil, finely shredded sage leaves, chopped walnuts, lemon zest and juice, and the remaining raw radicchio and Parmesan. This fresh, crunchy condiment provides a bright contrast to the creamy, wine-infused rice.
Sourcing the core ingredient may require a little effort, as Sodha notes that only a couple of major UK supermarket chains typically stock radicchio di Chioggia. She suggests seeking it out at farmers' markets or from online retailers like Abel & Cole and Natoora. For the wine, while Chianti is recommended for its juicy character, the recipe confirms that other red wines can be used as a substitute.
To serve, the risotto is spooned into shallow bowls, topped with a generous dollop of the vibrant pesto, an extra shower of Parmesan, and a final drizzle of olive oil. The result is an elegant, restaurant-quality dish that transforms seasonal, bitter leaves into the star of a comforting and deeply satisfying winter meal.
