Summer of CSA: Radicchio Risotto

It’s the summer of the farm share, my first. Each week brings with it a surprise helping of fresh veggies, some of which I’ve never tasted, let alone cooked with before. They’re trucked in from Lineage Farms, in upstate New York.

It’s a lesson in the seasonal comings and goings of crops. So far it’s been mostly greens…lettuces to be specific; Green leaf, red leaf, dear leaf, butter lettuce. There’s also been other greens, kale, arugula, spinach, broccoli raab, mustard greens and rainbow chard. More recently we’ve had some Chinese cabbage coming in, tatsoi (a Japanese bok choy), and radicchio. Also scallions, parsley, turnips, a few radishes and more garlic scapes than we know what to do with.  

Above is one of the more successful dishes produced from the CSA veggies thus far, a Radicchio Risotto. The buttery risotto is flavored with onion and parsley, a touch of white wine, finished off with parmasean cheese. The slightly bitter radicchio offsets the creaminess of the dish.