In Italy, radicchio is often served grilled, as its slightly bitter spicy taste softens under the strong heat. Grilled radicchio makes a delicious addition stirred into a creamy, basic risotto. Risotto becomes a super... fast meal if you have a pressure cooker. It’s so quick, great when you’re tired, requires little or no stirring, and comes out perfect every time. You can make it the standard way too.
Put 1 teaspoon of olive oil onto a plate and roll the radicchio quarters around in it until they have a sheen of oil all over them. Broil or grill until the radicchio is soft and slightly caramelized, and has changed color from deep red to pale brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pressure cooker over a medium-high heat. When it ripples, add the onion and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions have softened and become translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the rice. Cook, stirring until the edges of the rice look translucent, about 1 minute.
Add all the warm stock to the rice. Close and lock the pressure cooker and bring the pressure up over a medium-high heat. As soon as it is up, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for exactly 6 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, take to the sink, and run cold water over the lid until the pressure drops — the cooker will make a big sigh as it does so.
Unlock the lid. You will have rice that is just al dente and quite a lot of liquid. Return to the stove over medium-high heat, then add the butter and the pecorino cheese. Stir it in vigorously until well blended. Add the chopped radicchio, taste for salt. Cover and turn off the heat. Let the risotto sit for 5 minutes. The risotto will have lost its liquid look and have become creamy-looking. Serve immediately with a little extra grated Pecorino or Parmesan.
Chef Tips
Risotto rice keeps absorbing liquid after you turn off the heat. If you let your risotto sit too long before serving, it will get dry and sticky. To keep this from happening, quickly stir in a little more warm stock — just enough to bring creaminess back to the rice right before you serve it.
To make this recipe without a pressure cooker use our Basic Risotto recipe, grilling the radicchio and adding it at the end of step 4 of the basic recipe.
Radicchio is a round red and white lettuce-like veggie, whereas Treviso is elongated in the way of Belgian Endive. Both are great for this dish.
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