radicchio & endive slaw

I served this to one of my hardest-to-please critics and he said, “yum, what is this? Slaw?” I thought of it as a stylish European salad, but you know, he’s kind of right—it is essentially a slaw. It’s made with Treviso—the elongated radicchio you find in some grocery stores and farmers’ markets. It’s leafier and more tender than the round-headed stuff, plus its shape makes it easier to shred…into slaw.

ingredients

2 heads Treviso or radicchio
2 heads Belgian endive
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced
about 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
about 1/4 cup good olive oil
coarse sea salt or kosher salt

directions

Shred the Treviso by slicing it thinly crosswise (go all the way to the core; the thick white part is the best). Put in a salad bowl. Shred the endive the same way and add it to the bowl. Sprinkle with the vinegar, oil and salt to taste; toss well. Taste and adjust oil and vinegar as needed, then serve immediately.

note: for dinner parties, dress up the slaw by adding toasted walnuts and gruyere cheese cut into little matchsticks and toss with mustard vinaigrette.