My wife picked this recipe out of our latest Bon Apetit magazine. I would have (and probably did) glanced right over this and never given it any serious thought. But I am really glad she found it. I have already given the recipe to someone at my office.
It starts by grilling some radicchio. Cut it in half, spray or drizzle it with olive oil, and season with salt & pepper. Then get a nice char on both sides. Radicchio is a bitter vegetable, and charring it will heighten that flavor even more.
I decided to use my cast-iron grill pan to help with blistering the tomatoes. It seemed a lot easier than worrying about them falling through the grates, and I thought it would be more effective than a saute pan. I drizzled some olive oil and again seasoned with salt & pepper. Cook them over high heat until the skin bursts and the tomatoes blister.
Bring in the charred radicchio and let it cool. Then slice it thinly and toss into a large bowl.
Cook some Israeli couscous in salted water with a tbsp of butter. These little gems are great. They're like rich little spherical pastas. I love using them.
Next, I chopped up some fresh oregano from our herb garden.
...and some fresh parsley. Thinly slice some onions and leave them raw. It would be best if you can get them sliced super thin so that raw onion taste isn't too offensive. Then combine everything together and toss with a little more salt & pepper. You could finish it with some toasted almonds if you have them. (We did not.) Add some ricotta or Parmesan cheese to finish.
We decided to add some fresh lemon juice to balance out all the bitterness from the radicchio and onion. There is also a nice sweetness from the tomatoes, and a great richness from the buttery couscous. If you need a good vegetarian dish with a lot of bold, contrasting flavors -- then this dish is for you.
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