Muristek
Nigel Slater’s recipes for red chicory with orange, and root vegetable gratin
A warming way with rosy chicory, plus a swansong to winter veg
Chicory, especially the red variety, reminds me of the plump buds currently opening on my local magnolia trees. The rose-maroon of the chicory fades when you cook it, and its gentle bitterness softens in the heat of oven or grill. I slice each chicory bulb in half from root to pointy tip, turn them in a little olive oil and place them, cut side down, on the hot griddle. I lift each one with the kitchen tongs, peeping at their progress, and turning them on to their backs to brown a little more. The heat brings sweetness and turns their leaves to silk. They are then transferred tenderly to a serving dish with slices of Italian oranges, crisp-fired onions and, sometimes, folds of San Daniele or Parma ham as thin as parchment.
I am old enough to remember when chicory came in waxed blue paper to shield the infant shoots from the sun. The paler the better for these leaves, so they stay crisp and the tips remain primrose rather than green. The pink variety is probably at its most beautiful when served raw, but I like the deep red-brown that comes from applying a little heat. Cooked in a deep pot with a generous slice of butter, the merest dash of sugar and a splash of water (or stock or vermouth) the leaves will eventually caramelise to a luscious mouthful. The bitter-sweet juices are sublime. That is assuming they get this far, of course, and I haven’t munched them, rabbit like, straight from their brown paper bag.
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