spicy red salad

          

Only recently did I start to discover a variety of leafy greens that nature offers. Rich in calcium, iron and a variety of vitamins, available at this dull season, with countless methods of preparing, be it cooked, sauteed or raw, even, they make a really great addition to my menu. But on my last trip to the groceries, drawn by the vivid color, I picked up radicchio, which I've never had before. It has a really surprising, intense, slightly pepper-y taste.

If you want to replace it with some other leafy veggie, like spinach or iceberg salad, you may want to add a generous pitch of pepper to the dressing, and maybe increase the amount of onions added, to keep the warming-up sensation this salad gives.

It seems to be an excellent choice for a day like today: snowy, grey, with hardly any sunlight. Even the colors cheer you up.

Spicy Red Salad:

(serves 1, can be easily multiplied)

Ingredients:

for the salad:

4 leaves radicchio

1/3 red bell pepper

handful cherry tomatoes 

1 slice white onion

3-4 slices hot peperoncino, optional

a couple slices shallot, white part, optional 

+ for dressing

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3-4 fresh sage leaves

splash lemon juice, salt to taste

Directions:

Wash all the veggies, cut radicchio and pepper in thin strips, half tomatoes, separate onion rings. Place the leaves in a bowl, top with pepper and tomatoes. 

Mix olive oil with the vinegar, add chopped sage and salt. Drizzle the salad. 

Chop shallot and peperoncino - or leave them in thin slices, which will give a spicier taste. Put on top of the salad. 

Finish with a splash of lemon juice or additional pitch of salt, according to taste preferences.