Chèvre with Grilled Radicchio and Roasted Red Peppers on Olive Bread
A relative of lettuce, radicchio is shaped like a small cabbage and has a similar crunchy texture and reddish-purple color. Its slightly bitter flavor isn't very interesting raw, but when grilled or roasted, it makes a strong statement. Grill the radicchio for this sandwich when you are using your grill to cook something else; then refrigerate it until ready to use. Covered, it will keep 1 day. You can also roast radicchio in the oven, with similar results. You can roast the peppers and the radicchio together in advance on the same baking sheet. Just be sure to keep an eye on the radicchio to prevent it from overcooking. Done that way, this sandwich is an absolute breeze to put together, and the combination of ingredients tastes a lot more complex than it really is. When you come right down to it, there are just four main ingredients here. The key is that they are good ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 heads of radicchio about 6 ounces each
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6 red bell peppers roasted, skinned, seeded, and cored
- 12 ounces fresh goat cheese such as Montrachet
- 6 individual small olive loaves OR 12 slices olive bread
Instructions
- Separate the leaves of each radicchio from the core, working as if it were a head of cabbage. Discard the cores. Toss the leaves in a bowl with the olive oil and salt until well covered with oil.
- To Grill: Preheat your charcoal grill. With long-handled kitchen tongs, place the radicchio, leaf by leaf, on the grill, preferably around the edges of the fire, for better control of the cooking time. When you finish arranging them in a circle, start turning the radicchio, proceeding all the way around. Check for doneness. The leaves should be limp, with the characteristic black markings of the grill.
- To Roast: Position a rack near the top of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit Place the oiled and salted radicchio leaves on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
- When ready to make sandwiches, set out all the ingredients in front of you, as in an assembly line. Slice the roasted peppers into strips.
- Cut open the loaves or arrange the bread slices in a row. Cover the bottoms of the loaves with radicchio, spreading the leaves to the edges, and top with 2 full tablespoons of goat cheese, then slices of roasted pepper. Cover with the remaining bread, cut the sandwiches in half, and serve.
Variation
This sandwich makes a wonderful appetizer. If you want to serve it as a "little something" before dinner with wine or cocktails, use sliced bread instead of individual loaves, and cut the sandwiches into smaller pieces.
This sandwich makes a wonderful appetizer. If you want to serve it as a "little something" before dinner with wine or cocktails, use sliced bread instead of individual loaves, and cut the sandwiches into smaller pieces.