Farmer's Market Meal: Bitter Salad

Last weekend Z., a couple of friends, and I spent a leisurely and extraordinarily pleasant morning downtown and at the farmer's market. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful town with such an incredibly vibrant downtown.

Over the course of the week, Z. and I chatted some more over purchasing produce at the farmer's market. For a couple of months each summer, we get to try beautiful produce that we may not have tried. So, I lived a little and picked up a bunch of purple cippolini onions (this recipe for caramelized onions looks delicious) and the most gorgeous head of treviso. Here is a little more information about treviso. Our treviso was very similar in size and shape to a head of romaine. The leaves of the traviso were the color of a nice cabernet while the stalk and veins contrasted in a soft, creamy shade of green. The moment I laid eyes on the treviso, I knew I had to have it. I have never seen greens that were so pretty.

Normally, treviso or radiccio is mixed with other greens for salad or briefly cooked to temper the bitterness. But we wanted to let the treviso be the star so following Z.'s suggestion I made a bitter salad using  treviso, the green cippolini stalks, and balsamic marinated minced cippolini onions. Trust me and use the onion tops. The flavor is mild and delicious. Z. is not a vinegeraholic like I am so the only balsamic in his salad was from the marinated onions. I found that the little extra drizzle of balsamic on my salad transformed what could have been an over-powering bitterness into a lovely hint. Enjoy!

Bitter Salad for 2

4-5 leaves treviso
2 cippolini onions, minced
green stalks from cippolini onions, sliced
1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic, plus a little extra *
drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl, place the minced cippolini onions and about 2 teaspoons of balsamic. Let marinate 30 minutes or so.
2. Slice each treviso lengthwise in half then cut thin strips. 
3. To serve divide between two salad bowls or plates and top with onion stalks and marinated cippolini onions. Drizzle with olive oil and a little extra balsamic vinegar if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

* A dish this simple and with such high-quality ingredients deserves the best balsamic you have. In my case, I used my Kirkland Signature Balsamic Vinegar. The flavor is very smooth, slightly sweet and only mildly acidic, a great match for the treviso.